What Goes Around
by samurai-ashes
Summary: There's all sorts of rules about life the best known and hardest learned is what goes around comes around. [JouxMokuba, KaibaxShizuka MokubaxShizuka – complete]
1. Chapter One

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

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**Chapter One**

---  
Jounouchi 

It all started with a bowl of ramen and an impulse. 

Mokuba had invited me over for lunch and a movie, claiming that he was lonely because all of his friends were on vacation; I couldn't turn him down. In truth, I liked spending time with him; he was a good kid: silly, fun, and mature enough to talk to. Besides, he was fun to flirt with; whenever he realized a double meaning to something I'd said, or caught a joke, he'd blush a little, laugh, and throw something just as suggestive back at me. 

It was hard to notice that there was an age difference at all. 

Lunch was ready when I got to his house: spicy ramen, all set up on the living room floor. When I eat ramen, I slurp it. It's messy, it's loud, but hey, it gets the job done. On the other hand, Mokuba's noodles slipped past his lips without a sound. The way I looked at it – or at the rate I was going, staring intensely and forgetting to eat my own food – he was either just amazingly talented, or he was using his tongue to do that. 

I liked option two much better – it provided more interesting mental images. And then there was something sexy about the way his chopsticks brushed his lips… 

That was where impulse kicked in – I just leaned forward and kissed him, right before his chopsticks reached his lips; they clattered down to his bowl. What I didn't realize until I had already kissed him was that when you kiss a Kaiba, there's no room to turn back. Nope, your fate is sealed – they own your ass. 

My ass was sufficiently owned by a thirteen-year-old. 

And it was good. He tasted like spicy ramen. For a ten second period, I didn't realize that Mokuba wasn't spicy ramen, and I couldn't eat him alive just by tasting him; the second my tongue touched his lips, he giggled, breaking a perfectly good kiss. "Do you always kiss without warning?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear. With a look like that, there was no way he could convince me that he hadn't loved every second of it, even if he had been trying. 

"It usually seems to work out better that way. Did it?" 

"Well, yeah, I was kind of been hoping that you'd… Umm… but I'm trying to eat, and Seto could be home any minute," he rushed, looking down into his bowl and retrieving his chopsticks, wiping them off on his t-shirt. 

I wanted to laugh as I returned triumphantly to my ramen. I hadn't thought of that – I was irresistible in the eyes of Kaiba's younger brother. "Fine," I said cheerfully, slurping up some more of my ramen – why change a good thing? Still, I couldn't stop looking at him, taking another bite of his food, eyes glued on the movie… 

I guess I could handle being owned by a Kaiba, just as long as I got the better of the two. 

He looked over at me – probably noticed I was still staring at him. I could see the excitement in his face, and he asked what any thirteen year old boy would have asked right then: "Upstairs?" 

My ramen got knocked over as we scurried up to his room. 

It wasn't like I was some sort of sex fiend who gets off on deflowering young boys, but I figured thirteen was a decent age for dating, and Mokuba acted older anyway… so it seemed okay. Besides, I had absolutely no intention of doing anything dishonorable – as long as everyone's clothes stayed on… some good-natured necking between teenagers was perfectly honorable. 

From this, I learned two lessons. 

One: never leave a mess on Kaiba's living room carpet; he notices, and he investigates. Of course, by the time that Kaiba got home – an event unbeknownst to either of us – I had Mokuba pinned down on his bed. I had honestly expected him to have a chair or something in his room; I hadn't known that the only place to sufficiently kiss him was going to be on his bed, and I certainly hadn't expected him to literally yank me down like that. The kid was definitely a Kaiba: aggressive, demanding, and good at everything he did. Of course, when the event in question was kissing me, I'm not sure that it would be any consolation to Kaiba if I announced that. 

And of course, Kaiba would choose that minute to walk in. Mokuba shoved me away as forcibly as he had pulled me to him, and he ended up looking away from Kaiba. I looked from Kaiba, to Mokuba, then back to Kaiba, and said without thinking, "Whatever happened to knocking?" 

Which brought me to lesson two: telling Kaiba that you were examining his brother's tonsils is not a good reason for having your tongue down his throat, especially if it turns out that the kid doesn't have his tonsils anymore. 

Kaiba just kept staring. It was like watching a pong match; I kept looking back and forth between Kaiba and Mokuba, just waiting for someone to miss… something. They weren't saying anything, just staring at each other. Just when I was about ready to say something, just to get create some noise other than my uncomfortable shifting on the bed, Mokuba spoke up. "So, am I grounded?" 

With a glance in my direction Kaiba slowly answered, "No. But if you've decided you're old enough to…" He visibly cringed, and I felt a small surge of pride – even if I was a dead man, I made Kaiba cringe! How many people could claim that? "If you're old enough to engage in this sort of activity, then you're old enough for some new rules. We'll talk about it later, but I can tell you your first rule right now." 

Mokuba gulped and smiled weakly. "And that is…" 

"No boys in your room – at all. So, Jounouchi, that means out." 

Fine, if Kaiba wanted to play dirty… "Okay," I said calmly, leaning over to kiss Mokuba before I got up; the kid blushed and ducked his head was I backed away, but he was smiling. "I'll call later." 

"Bye, Jou," he said meekly, glancing over at his brother as though he was waiting for Kaiba to say something. Kaiba just glared at me. 

It took all my resolve not to flip him off as I left the room. 

But I was whistling when I left the Kaiba premises. It wasn't one of my smartest moves, but I didn't regret it. I had the distinct feeling I was about to get involved with a great kid, and on top of that, I got to piss off Kaiba just by having a good time. 

Sundays didn't get much better than that. 

---  
**Shizuka**

"Excuse me, miss?" 

I looked up from tying my shoe to see Kaiba Seto looking down at me. According to Oniichan, looking down on people was a typical activity for him, but not only was he in front of my school, he was smiling and being polite. Everyone knew about Kaiba, and everyone knew that smiling and being polite – at least, not without being condescending – simply weren't things that he did. I had only met him once (if 'met' was the right word to describe the brief second that I had pleaded with him on the Battle City Blimp), and he hadn't looked happy then, not even once. "Do you need something?" I finally asked, finishing with my untied shoelace. 

"Yes, I'm here to get my brother, but I don't know where to find him…" He looked slightly embarrassed, and despite every mean thing that Oniichan had ever told me, I smiled. He should've smiled the way he was smiling at me more often – it looked good on him, much better than the scowls he showed the press. Hell, if he had been anyone but Kaiba – that is, if I thought there was a snowball's chance in hell of succeeding – I might have been tempted to flirt with him a little. 

I stood and stretched my arms, picking my bag up from the step I had been sitting on. Hitting on him wasn't an option, but I could at least be nice in return. "I can help you; what's his room number?" 

"I'm not sure; he's in some sort of club." 

That only narrowed it down to about half the school. I had to laugh a little bit; I would've thought a business genius would have had a better idea about where to find his brother. "Well, he's first-year, right? There are only so many clubs he could be in… I'm sure we can find the right one. Follow me." 

I expected him to be his trademark quiet and sulky self – at least, that was how Oniichan had always described him – but instead he tried to strike up conversation. "So you're in your third year?" 

"Uh-huh," I replied. I was intent on trying to stay ahead of him; he had such a long stride! "Slow down!" I finally laughed, stopping. "I can't really lead you if you keep getting ahead of me." 

He smiled at me again and noticeably slowed, falling into step beside me. "How old are you?" 

"Fifteen." 

He nodded to himself and cast me a sidelong glance. "Fifteen? You're awfully pretty for your age." 

"Thanks…" I looked down, hoping my hair covered the blush on my cheeks. I had just ruled flirting with Kaiba out, but if I didn't know any better, I'd think he was trying to flirt with me. It was sort of embarrassing – with Honda or Otogi, I would blush, and they would be proud of themselves, but it was Kaiba… 

"Niisama!" a voice broke through my contemplation. I looked up to see his brother walking towards us. "Is something wrong?" 

Kaiba shook his head. "No, I just had some time and thought I'd pick you up today. Are you done yet?" 

Mokuba was looking me over carefully, as though gauging a threat. I smiled at him, hoping he'd stop scrutinizing me like that; it made me uncomfortable. Maybe he didn't remember me? 

Come to look at it, it was hard to find a resemblance in the brothers; from appearance to demeanor, they seemed to be from completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Hell, even in their appeal, I couldn't find a semblance – Kaiba was typically the dark and broody type, the sort of guy that a girl's mother warned her about, and Mokuba was cute and scruffy, the sort of guy that a girl could have fun just goofing off with. 

I'd always sort of liked dark and broody myself. 

"We'll be done in about twenty minutes," Mokuba said, finally looking away from me. "But I can leave now if – " 

"Don't worry about it," Kaiba said. "I can wait." 

Mokuba paused for a second, looking at me again before nodding and leaving, and I was alone in the hall with Kaiba. "Would you like some company while you wait?" I offered impulsively. I knew it was obvious: I was fishing for excuses to spend time with him. Oniichan would have scolded me for hours if he knew, but Kaiba seemed harmless! He was smiling, being nice, and he even called me pretty; he was so contrary to Oniichan's arguments that it seemed perfectly logical to see how drastic the change was, or if there was a change at all. 

After all, maybe he just really hated my brother. 

"Sure." He was still smiling, looking right at me – not through me, or around me, or past me, but at me. It made me feel a little weak in the knees, and all of sudden, I realized I had taken up a great opportunity to spend time with a good-looking guy, and I was verbally unarmed. Five minutes passed, and in that time I leaned against the wall, crossed my ankles, uncrossed them, wrung my hands behind my back, and bit my lower lip nearly to death. I couldn't think of anything to say! Honestly, what could I say to a multi-billionaire with everything a person could want? Somehow, 'How's the weather?' just wouldn't cut it. 

"What's your name?" he asked, and I nearly jumped; I'd been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I'd almost forgotten that he was really there. "I forgot to ask." 

"Shizuka," I said, smiling and looking down. I couldn't even ask his name. Maybe 'what's your sign?'…? 

A crooked smile tugged at his lips. "Just Shizuka?" he asked, an amused ring to his voice. "Don't you have a family name?" 

"Oh!" I blushed again – how silly of me! I was agonizing over making a good impression, yet I forgot something THAT simple. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little out of it. It's been a long day." 

He nodded, and almost looked sympathetic. "I remember a few school days like that." 

I beamed at him. He was so normal compared to that last time that I saw him. Maybe the years had really mellowed him out, and maybe I ever had a chance to… "Kawai," I added before I got lost in my thoughts again. "Kawai Shizuka." 

**- end ch. 1 -**

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**notes**  
This was a plot bunny that I kidnapped from Nenya85 – it was consensual, I promise. It was an idea she had after reading Damaging Innocence, and after a while I decided it sounded like fun to run with. She rocks, and I demand loudly that you go read some of her work. Or all of it. Right now, lol. 

As for the story, Hannah's back on beta'ing for this one. That's going to be fun. Thanks Hannah! :) 

Oh dear hell. Well, right now, my biggest issues are the fact that Kaiba makes NO sense in the last half of this chapter, and that I've never really written a female as a main character before; I'm worried that poor Shizuka's going to come out badly. 

Um, other than that… Well, that's about it. The title is pretty lame, but no matter how many others I tried to come up with, that one always came back, so I decided to go with it and call it day, lol. 


	2. Chapter Two

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

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**Chapter Two **

--  
Mokuba 

Niisama had been acting strange for nearly two weeks. 

I looked from him out through the windows, perched comfortably on a little ledge in front of the window. It was where I always sat when I was in Niisama's room, just because could sit and stare outside. At that particular moment I was watching the driveway and the road beyond – I could see it all from where I sat. I was waiting for Jou, but Niisama didn't know that; if he did, he'd never leave us alone. As bad as I felt about sort-of deceiving him, I didn't really want him spending the entire night hovering in doorways. 

A strange smell filled the room, and I crinkled my nose against it. 

Cologne. 

I looked at Niisama in surprise. The way he'd started spending a little less time at work had been odd but welcome; I figured he had finally found an interest that wasn't Kaiba Corp, or me, and I wasn't about to object to that. For an eighteen-year-old, Niisama lacked normal hobbies, and I was ready to welcome one that wasn't life threatening. 

Then he started dressing up. I hadn't seen Seto look in a mirror any longer than twenty seconds before, but suddenly he would spend a couple minutes examining every aspect of himself just as critically as he would look at programs or figures at work. But never, EVER in my life had I seen Seto use cologne; I didn't even know he owned any. 

The look, the care taken to cultivate it… He was obviously seeing someone. "Alright, spill it," I demanded. 

"Hm? I don't know what you're talking about," he said flippantly, finishing buttoning his shirt. I shook my head – if Niisama thought I was clueless, he had another thing coming. 

"You've been doing this too long for it to be a fling – who's the girl? Did you meet her at work, or was it a chance meeting on the street? Is she hard to impress? She must be, if you're trying so hard." I had to grin, watching him straighten out the shirt he was wearing. "And if she is hard to impress, you should unbutton the first button or two – you're not too old to be good looking, right?" 

He smirked at himself in the mirror, casting a sidelong glance over at me. "Hardly. She's young, and a little silly." 

"Is she nice?" 

"Very." He looked down at his watch. "I'm going now; be good while I'm gone." 

"Of course," I said angelically – and I knew he didn't buy it. He rolled his eyes and left the room; I watched out the window as he left – and he undid one of the top buttons of his shirt as he got in the car. There was DEFINTELY something up with Niisama – I'd just have to make him tell me all about it when he got home. After all, there had to be more to this girl than young, silly, and nice – it just didn't add up… 

Then again, in the past two weeks, trying to impress a girl hadn't been the only odd thing that Niisama had done – he had also been weirdly calm about my relationship with Jou. He didn't rant, swear, or try anything weird to break us up – instead, he tried to use rationality. But even then, he was a lot cooler about it than I thought he'd be… and I felt a little guilty sometimes; Niisama must've trusted me a lot, and I used that to my advantage sometimes… But I never broke his rules, not once. After all, just because Jou wasn't allowed in my room didn't mean he wasn't allowed to visit the house… 

No matter what Niisama thought of him, or his reasons, I liked how things were going with Jou. My friends always talked about dating and how girls were hard to deal with – "Everything's about being a good boyfriend," they'd say, "and it's impossible to be a good boyfriend." 

I didn't see it; Jou was a great boyfriend: nice, sweet, silly, strong, and – boy! – could he kiss. Not that I had kissed a whole lot of people in my life (most of them were dares or games), but I was smart enough to know when it was good. 

Speaking of Jou, I peeked out the window; he was coming up the front walk. I grinned and hopped down from the ledge, running down to meet him; I made it to the door as he rang the bell and hugged him. If only I weren't so much shorter than him. In a couple of years I'd be bigger, but for the time being… At least I was taller than Yuugi. 

"Enthusiastic greeting," he teased, ruffling my hair. I grinned up at him and let him go. 

"C'mon," I ordered, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him to the game room. The original idea was that we were going to play video games, but I had a much better plan than that. After all, friends played video games, but weren't boyfriends supposed to do something more? Truth be told, I was curious. He followed, laughing and teasing me the whole way about how 'eager' I was. He plopped down on the couch when we arrived in room. 

"So, what's the game?" he asked, silly grin on his face. Instead of answering I leaned in tentatively, still standing, and kissed him. Before I knew it I was in his lap, and his mouth was attached my neck, one arm wrapped around my waist. I had my head tossed back to give him more room, and my hands were tangled in his hair. He chuckled against the skin of my neck. "You're pulling my hair, kid," he said huskily. "Am I that good?" His teeth grazed my skin, and I nodded, whimpering as the hand against my back ventured lower, cupping my jean-clad backside. 

Even I knew that was what boyfriends were supposed to do. 

"Ahem!" 

I sat up properly, looking back to the doorway to see our most recent butler standing there. I sighed heavily; I had completely forgotten that part of his job was to check up on me. "Master Mokuba, there are several more suitable seats in the room; I suggest you find one." 

I was tempted to tell him no, and to go to hell on top of that, but I knew that Niisama was going to hear about the situation as it was; I didn't want to make it any worse. I lifted myself up off Jou's lap and hopped into the seat beside him, smiling sarcastically at the butler. He left, but not before pointedly frowning at Jou. 

"We should probably play that game," Jou said. The quality of his voice surprised me; it sounded heavier. Did I do that? 

Damn, I'm good. 

"But I was having plenty of fun with what we were doing," I pouted, blushing as I said it. Still, Jou bit his lip and shook his head, going to set up the game. 

Jou was more honorable than Seto would ever give him credit for. Most guys – myself included – would've gone back to what we were doing before we were caught, but not Jou; he had to play the good guy. It was kind of another really good thing about him; I wasn't afraid of him at all. Where I might have found someone else intimidating, he was just like a big teddy bear. I liked that. 

I just wished he didn't seem to be able to turn himself on and off like some sort of light switch. How could he even think of concentrating on a game, after that? I certainly didn't feel like I could. Maybe he wasn't as easily affected as I was, or maybe I just needed to find the right way to turn him on… I frowned. "Jou, you like me right?" 

"Of course," he threw back, looking over his shoulder at me. He was smiling. "Why?" 

"Seto thinks you're using me. I guess I was just checking," I laughed. It was a serious conversation that Niisama and I had. I was sure Jou wouldn't do anything like that, and Niisama replied that he couldn't think of many other reasons why an adult – he had been very clear about using that word – would be with a teenager. He figured Jou was out to 'steal my innocence and gloat to his friends about it'. 

"Nah, I wouldn't do that," he assured me, grabbing two controllers and coming back to sit beside me on the couch, handing me one. The title screen of the game was coming up, and he nudged me in the side with his elbow. "So, are we gonna play, or what? I've gotta leave early; my mother invited me over for dinner for some reason – something about Shizuka's new boyfriend. Like I want my baby sister to have a boyfriend," he scoffed. 

I rolled my eyes. "You're such a baby," I said. "Look at Niisama – he's being really good about this whole thing with us." 

Jou laughed sarcastically, pressing start and whizzing through the game menu. "Right, right, good – if that's what you call the way he glares at me. If looks could kill, you'd be crying on my grave right now." 

"Whatever," I replied as we started playing. 

Yeah, Jou was great. He was fun, caring, trustworthy, and one of the sweetest guys I knew. And just as soon as I could get Seto to see that, I'd bet that things would be perfect. I grinned and pressed start. "Yeah, and I'll totally kick your ass." 

--  
**Kaiba**

I had to sit there… and look nice… and act nice – no, be nice to the woman who brought Jounouchi into the world. I may have been smiling at all the right times, and was as charming as I knew how to be, but all I really wanted to do was look her dead in the eye and ask her why she hadn't left Jounouchi in the hospital and forgotten about him. 

But that was rude, and what sort of boyfriend would I be if I was rude? 

The word 'boyfriend' still didn't seem to fit right into my vocabulary, not when applied to myself. When applied to Mokuba's life, it translated roughly into 'threat'; when applied to Jounouchi's, it simply screamed 'eliminate immediately' – which was what I was in the process of doing. However, when I tried to apply the word to myself… 

Well, I tried not too; the situation was complicated enough without my own analysis making it worse. 

"Seto," Shizuka said as her mother got up to go check on dinner. "Are you sure you're okay with Oniichan coming over? I know you guys don't get along…" 

"It's fine," I told her for what had to be the millionth time since I had arrived at her house. Actually, it was perfect; I couldn't have set up my meeting with Jounouchi better if I had been the one planning it. It sort of just happened; I'd spent two weeks wooing Shizuka – and doing a damn good job, despite how odd every second of it had been – and much sooner than I would have expected, she was telling me that her mother wanted to meet me. She'd bit her lip and looked at me with what had to be absolute horror in her eyes, and she told me that her mother had invited her brother as well. 

I had to be impressed that she realized how awkward that would have been under normal circumstances. However, it was the perfect venue to tell Jounouchi all about the plan I had set up for him – because of him – for his sister. After all, with the guilt of his sister's well-being on his shoulders… There was no way I could lose. 

"Are you sure?" she repeated, biting her lower lip. I was definitely sure, and I smoothed some hair back from her face, leaning in to kiss her cheek. It just served to remind me that I had to kiss her at some point… In truth, I had been avoiding it. That was the only flaw in my plan; I actually had to be just as much a boyfriend as Jounouchi. It wasn't comfortable territory, nor was it familiar. Luckily, I understood the simplicity of Jounouchi's thoughts; he would assume the worst, so long as I made it look right. I could take that time to get used to the idea of actually making his assumptions reality. 

As though two weeks hadn't been enough. 

There was a knock at the door, and somewhere in the kitchen, her mother uttered a quiet, "Oh crap, he's early for once!" She went scurrying across the living room and into the small front hall, smile on her face the whole way. 

She was proud of Shizuka, proud that her daughter has snagged me – much to my disdain. Still, irritating as I found the thought, I hadn't counted on her feeling that way; it was almost as though I could take down two women important to Jounouchi all at once. 

It almost made my stomach turn. 

I kissed Shizuka's cheek again and twined my hand with hers, resting it against her knee – that'd get Jounouchi's imagination going. 

"It's fine," I said, trying to force a reassuring smile; after all, I didn't want to look too cocky. "It'll all work out just fine." 

**-end ch. 2-**

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**notes**  
You have no idea how badly I wanted to start Kaiba's POV "Whilst Mokuba was merrily being molested on the game room couch..." 

hearts to Hannah; she went hardkore beta mode with this chapter, and I got way excited about it. XD 

It's really funny; I feel bad that while Jou and Mokuba are being all overly-snuggly, Kaiba is in the middle of having kissing issues, even though there's not a chance in hell they'd all be on even footing with relationships. I dunno – I just worry about fairness for all involved? Lol. v And I always get a kick out of Mokuba giving Kaiba advice; it amuses me in ways I can't explain. XD 


	3. Chapter Three

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**---  
Jounouchi**

My mother and I had a slightly better relationship after Shizuka's operation, but we weren't exactly close. Since the operation, she had contacted me six times: once to let me know she had bought a house in Domino, once to remind me of Shizuka's birthday, once because she couldn't find Shizuka, and three times for dinner. I didn't mind; occasional hellos and a couple of dinners were enough, and the conversation was always civil, sometimes even fun. Still, it was weird when she called me up, giddy as a schoolgirl, saying, "Katsuya, Katsuya, you need to come over for dinner tonight." My mother was a grown woman – she had no business sounding that excited about anything. 

I kicked a can on the sidewalk; it scuttled into the road. Being at my mother's house made me uncomfortable. It was a nice place and everything, one story, tidier than my apartment, but it was just that she had a habit of hovering over me, and if there was something I had to be there for… Well, I had a feeling being around her was going to be harder than usual. I would have much rather have spent my night hanging out with Mokuba and playing video games, sneaking kisses between check-ups from the Gestapo that Kaiba had hired to keep an eye on us. 

When I knocked on the door, my mother all but swung it open, and she enveloped me in a hug like she always did. "Shizuka, he's here!" she called out. Why the hell was she so excited? We started to turn the corner from the main doorway to the living room, and there was Shizuka on the couch. I opened my mouth to greet her, but we went a little further, and there was Kaiba next to her. My mouth snapped shut, and my stomach lurched. 

They were sitting close. 

Their hands were clasped… 

My eyes widened, and I felt anger rise in my throat, along with every insult and accusation I had ever known – 

…and resting on her knee! 

– but anything I could possibly think to say died on my lips when I noticed that Shizuka didn't look at all put out by Kaiba's closeness. 

"Katsuya?" my mother prodded me, a nervous lilt to her voice. "Stop gawking and sit down already!" Mindlessly I stumbled over to an armchair across from the couch. Shizuka was smiling at me apprehensively, and despite the pretty-boy smile Kaiba had on, I knew he was smirking on the inside. 

That fucking… 

"Isn't it wonderful?" my mother gushed, breaking the silence again. "Of all the boyfriends you and your sister played with – " 

"Mama!" Shizuka scolded, looking down and flushing. Kaiba laughed. Laughed! I glared at him. 

"I bet she's broken a lot of hearts," he said. He almost sounded affectionate, and if I didn't know him better, I might have even been stupid enough to swallow the bullshit he was spouting. 

But my mother… she just nodded, still smiling. "I try not to count. Does anyone want anything? " 

"Cyanide," I muttered darkly. 

"What?" 

I faked a smile at her. "Just water," I amended. 

"Okay. Kaiba-san? Shizuka?" 

My mother was calling him 'Kaiba-san' like he deserved some sort of respect! My mother! I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to jump over the coffee table and throttle him as he shook his head and said, "No, thank you. And please, just call me Seto." My mother smiled stupidly and nodded, leaving for the kitchen. 

"Kaiba," I said, fighting to keep my voice even, "can we have a word? Outside?" 

There was that smirk! I knew it! 

"Oniichan…" Shizuka bit her lip. 

"Just normal brotherly stuff, Shizuka, I promise," I told her, winking at her as Kaiba stood. Looked like a 'yes' to me. We went out onto the front porch, and the second the door was closed, I shoved him into the wall. The thump of his body against brick made me feel a little better, but not better enough. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I hissed, keeping my voice down. I didn't want to alert my family that I was about ten seconds from beating Kaiba's ass. 

Kaiba retained his self-satisfied smirk. "I don't know what you're talking about." 

"Fuck you," I retorted. "I don't know what game you're playing at, but quit – my sister's feelings aren't a game, and they aren't for you!" 

"Nor are Mokuba's," he shot back. "Let me be frank. The game is simple: for as long as you're toying with Mokuba – " 

"I'm not toying with him!" 

He held up a hand to silence me, and it only pissed me off more. "Let me finish. For as long as you're playing with my brother, I'll be doing the same with your sister. Anything that happens to Mokuba will happen to Shizuka, be it good or bad. And don't think I can't find out how things are going." 

My mouth dropped. That… bastard! Absolute fucking bastard! "You can't play with people's emotions like that!" 

"And how do you intend to stop me? Shizuka is enamored with me." 

"What if she's in love with you?" My stomach lurched again. "If she loves you, and I were to break up with your brother…" It became crystal clear – that was his intention. He clarified it before I could ask – maybe my expression was enough to give away my questions. 

"When you break up with Mokuba, I'll end it with Shizuka – exactly the same way." He smiled at me. "And, of course, this deal goes both ways. Should… circumstance take things farther with Shizuka than I – " 

I had him by the collar, fully ready to punch him when the door opened. I lowered my fist, and he stopped speaking as my mother looked out at us. 

"Katsuya, you're not being cruel, are you?" 

My mother – the apparent master of the diplomatic understatement. I smiled. "No, not at all – just doing my brotherly duty and lookin' out for my baby sister. We'll be back in a minute, okay?" 

She nodded and closed the door, but I knew better – she and Shizuka were on the other side of the door, listening in. Kaiba must've known it too, because his next words were so quiet, I almost didn't hear them. 

"Face it, Jounouchi – you're trapped." 

"Fine," I hissed in response. "Don't think I'm going to make this easy for you." 

"Likewise." He turned and reentered the house – nearly colliding with my mother and Shizuka on the way in. My mother turned back into the house immediately, but Kaiba stopped Shizuka before should could follow. 

It was my first real-life slow motion experience; right there, in the doorway, where anyone on the street could see, where I could see, Kaiba leaned in to kiss my sister – and he didn't just kiss her, but he kissed her. 

And all I could do was fuckin' gape. 

**---  
Kaiba**

When it came to relationships, there were three kinds of men: the sort who kissed and told, the sort who kissed and said nothing, and the sort who kissed but didn't really give a damn. 

I wasn't sure which category I fell into. 

But more curious than that was that despite the façade of it all, there was a fluttering in my stomach from kissing Shizuka. What it suggested exactly, I couldn't be sure, but I wasn't exactly eager to find out. All I wanted to do was go home, take a shower, and go to bed without thinking about it. It seemed like a simple enough plan… except that I had forgotten one factor. 

The teenager who started asking questions the second I walked in the door. 

"So, where did you take her?" he asked. I could tell by looking at him that he had been waiting for me, sitting on the entryway stairs with a book and a sandwich. He set the book aside and looked at me. "Did you have fun?" 

"I met her family," I responded as I took off my jacket, hanging it on the coat rack by the door. "And it wasn't all that bad; her mother was nice." I had to bite my tongue – literally – to hold back a comment about Jounouchi. I didn't want Mokuba to know – I was well aware that he wouldn't approve of what I was doing. On top of that, he was clever, and that was one attribute I didn't want turned against me. 

"What about her dad? Was he really protective?" 

I shrugged, stepping past him and starting up the stairs. "Didn't have one. You need to go to bed when you finish eating; you have school tomorrow – god forbid you should turn out like that bo – " I paused, making a face to myself. 

I had almost said boyfriend. 

"Like what?" he asked, and I turned to look at him. 

"Like Jounouchi." 

Mokuba laughed as though I wasn't serious. "Okay, okay, Niisama, I'm going. But I'm going to meet this girlfriend someday, right?" 

Not if I could help it – not if Jounouchi crumbled like I expected him to. He usually did under too much pressure. "At some point," I lied. "I'm headed up to take a shower and do some work – I'll see you in the morning." 

"Night!" he said cheerfully, finishing the last bite of his sandwich and jumping up, running past me, taking the steps two at a time. I shook my head, smiling a bit until a yawn snuck up on me – I hadn't even noticed I was tired. 

It took a lot of energy to care without caring. 

The shower went without a hitch, but as I was settling down at my desk to work, Mokuba ran in – the door slammed against the wall so hard that I could've sworn that it splintered the wall. I turned to look at him. He had a minor case of bed head, and he was wearing his pyjamas. Whatever had happened had been important enough to jump out of bed for – and it had been important enough to rush, guessing by the heaving of his chest. 

"Did you run all the way here?" 

He nodded, breathing heavily. 

"Alright, what's that important?" I asked, crossing my ankles and looking him over. 

It took him a second, but he finally managed out, "You had curry and rice for dinner." 

"I hardly see how that – " I stopped and looked straight at him, digesting what he'd just told me. He knew what I had eaten for dinner. That meant that he probably knew where I had eaten. 

"I called Jou before I went to bed," he admitted. 

I resisted the urge to let my head fall onto the keyboard. Damn it. 

Jounouchi really was a fucking moron. 

**-end ch. 3-**

* * *

**notes**:  
Ah, and the Jounouchi & curry thing comes up again – mostly because I just like curry. Sorry about the long wait on the update -- it's a variety of reasons. Foremost, my roommate and I just moved to a new place, and our internet was down for two weeks in the rearranging of it all. Second, my printer died, and I have issues fixing things at the computer. But I have a printer now, and I've been working since I was last online, and all should be well.

Even though something always goes wrong. Just don't tell me -- I'm an optimist. :)


	4. Chapter Four

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Four **

****

**--**

Mokuba

I had to talk to her. 

I'd tried to get Niisama to talk about Shizuka all through breakfast – even part of the ride to school – but he eluded me every time. I finally stopped asking questions when he replied, "Is there something wrong with me dating Shizuka?" 

"No." I didn't bring it up after that; if it was keeping Niisama happy, there was absolutely nothing wrong… I just wanted to know why. If it had been any other girl, I wouldn't have been so concerned. However, it wasn't some random girl; it was Shizuka. My boyfriend's sister. 

That was pushing the limits of a coincidence. 

I had to see if there was something about her that I was missing, something that Seto saw and liked. I had to see for myself what had pulled my brother into something as typical as dating, because I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that nothing Niisama did was typical. 

It was tough to just approach her, though. I'd met her once – twice, tops – and barely more than a 'hello' had passed between us. But she was about three feet in front of me in the hallway, talking with her friends. Damn, I hated approaching girls; I'd never met one who hadn't gushed… except Anzu, but it didn't look like she was about to jump out of the rafters and save me. Before I lost my nerve, I walked forward and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to look at me, and her friends followed suit. If the Emperor had to greet an alien race, even he wouldn't feel as awkward as I did, with them all looking me over like they were searching for something. 

"Hi," she said brightly. She had a pretty smile, and wasn't looking at me like I was a foreign creature – so far, so good. She tucked a pen behind her ear and held a notebook against her chest. "Mokuba, right?" 

I nodded. "Yeah," I looked at her, trying not to blush. Maybe Seto's thing with her wasn't so odd after all; once I got a good look at her, she was really pretty. She didn't look much like Jou, though. "Can I talk to you?" 

One girl leaned in to another and I heard her whisper, "I hope he doesn't like her!" 

"She's taken," the other girl said quietly, and then added pitifully, "How tragic…" 

I wanted to retort that as the boyfriend of HER brother, I was taken too. However, Shizuka replied with a smile, "Sure. Right now?" 

"Uh, sure – privately?" I gestured down the hall, trying to indicate that we should walk away from her gaggle, who erupted into little whispers and giggles the second the words were out of my mouth. 

"Wait, isn't he Kaiba's little brother?" one of them was saying. 

"Oh, its like a romance novel – two brother's battling for one girl's heart!" giggled another. 

Shizuka's voice rose above their whispers again: "That's fine; lead the way." She handed her notebook to a friend, and I started walking; within seconds she fell into step beside me. People were slowly started to filter off, heading to their respective classes. I'd have to make it snappy. 

"You're Shizuka, right?" I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets and staring at the ground as I walked. I didn't want to look her in the face and tell her that I thought something was wrong with Niisama – I wouldn't want someone to do it to me. 

"Yup – is something wrong?" She sounded really nice, and I looked up to see her smiling. Maybe Seto was just growing up, finally catching up with girls – and he had picked one hell of a one to play catch up with! It was a nice thought, and not completely unlikely… 

I took a deep breath. "So you and my brother are dating?" 

"Uh-huh. He's really a sweet guy," she said, smiling dreamily. I almost laughed; I had never thought I'd hear another human being say that. She was actually cute when she said that, and I wondered if, for once, there was another person who got it. Someone who really liked Niisama, not just Kaiba. 

"He can be. So was that day at school like your first date or something?" 

"At school… Oh! No, we had just met, really." 

"What?" I crinkled my brow, watching my feet as I walked and thought. I knew she'd been around during Niisama's tournament a few years back – I had just assumed they'd met then, and from there… "You mean that was the first time he had approached you?" 

"Yes." 

"He'd never come onto you before?" 

"Nope. He invited me out that afternoon. It was nice; I never had a boy who was nice about…" She blushed and cleared her throat. "But you didn't hunt me down to listen to me gush about Seto, right?" 

"Kinda," I laughed nervously. Well, that kind of put a hole in my catch-up theory – everything she was telling me sounded wrong. If he was really so sweet and impromptu with her, he wouldn't have hidden it from me. I nodded absently, trying to come up with something to say without sounding mean. I took another deep breath, setting my shoulders as though I was getting ready to face some great foe. "It's just… Well, I thought since you're dating my brother, and I'm with Jou, that we should put our heads together and figure out why." 

I had taken six full steps before I realized that she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes were wide, and she was staring at me in surprise. "What do you mean 'why'?" she asked. She sounded hesitant. "I like your brother, he likes me, you like Katsuya, and he likes you – what more is there to it?" 

"Katsu… Oh, yeah, Jou. Well… Yeah, but nothing about my brother is that simple. The way he's been acting since he started seeing you has been really different for him." Maybe I should have said it nicer – I remembered hearing the phrase 'hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn', and she was starting too look just a little indignant. I could see her similarities to Jou then; the way her eyes narrowed and her jaw set, the slight twitching of her clenched fists… She was definitely Jou's sister. Maybe she had a temper like him, too; his temper could be pretty damn nasty. 

"But it doesn't have to mean something bad," I rushed, "I just mean that it can't be a coincidence." She looked at me, blinking in surprise. I held in a sigh of relief and continued, "He usually isn't so sudden with things this big. But who knows, maybe Seto figured that if I was dating, he could do – and the first person he turned to was you. Maybe he remembered you from the tournament – you guys met then, right?" 

The speculation sounded more like a bad movie script or story plot, and I didn't really believe it, but if it made her stop looking so mad, then it was worth it. However, while I might have calmed her temper, I obviously wasn't convincing her any better than I was convincing myself; she rolled her eyes and frowned. "That was two years ago, and I talked to him for all of two seconds." She sighed. "No. Maybe…" She paused again, confusion painted across her features. "I just don't know. Oniichan told me that he was seeing you, and… It really is too weird to be coincidence." 

I paused. Well, now that we agreed on that… Jeez, she didn't have to look so crestfallen about it. "Maybe we could just talk to Seto," I suggested, giving her my best hopeful smile. 

"Really?" The smile had its desired effect; she looked relieved. That look was definitely worth the trouble it was going to be to get Niisama to actually talk about it. 

The bell rang, and I nearly jumped; I had forgotten we were even in school. Weird. "Yeah – I tell you what," I hurried, "Give me your number, and I'll talk to Niisama. I probably won't get a chance to call you tonight, but sometime tomorrow, okay?" 

She nodded, pulling the pen from behind her ear, taking my hand, and writing her number on it. "There. I'm going to class now." I nodded and turned away from her. 

I was late to class, but that didn't bug me. It was just that no one had ever warned me that it would be so hard to concentrate with a girl's phone number on my hand. 

**--  
Kaiba**

"I like her, you know," Mokuba blurted from his seat in the corner of my office. We had a pretty good after-school routine. He came to Kaiba Corp after school and did his homework while I worked; that way we got to spend a little more time together, and we usually made it home at the same time. As an added bonus, we'd perfected the art of having entire conversations without ever making eye contact. It was an increasingly useful skill; there were some topics that were just easier to stomach if I didn't have to watch Mokuba talking about them. 

Namely, Jounouchi. 

"Like who?" I replied, continuing on my work. 

"Shizuka. She's really nice – I'm glad that you're finally doing something more than work, and with such a good person." 

"Good." That was a blatant lie; it wasn't good at all. The last thing I wanted was my ruse of a girlfriend and my brother getting chummy – it was an unnecessary risk in an otherwise immaculate plan. I could imagine how ticked off Mokuba would be if (or when, depending on how Jounouchi intended to play his cards) he found out what my actual intentions were. I would never hear the end of it. 

"I can't figure out why you wouldn't talk about her," Mokuba went on. "It's not like I don't approve. She's pretty, and nice, and she's not an idiot…" 

"Sounds like you should be dating her," I said without thinking. 

He let out a little disbelieving laugh. "That's funny – I never knew you were a joker, Niisama," he teased, waving his pencil at me dramatically. "But she'd make a good friend." 

At one point, I distinctly remembered him telling me all about what a great friend Jounouchi was. "Yeah?" 

"Yeah." There was a short pause – if we hadn't been in the confines of my office, I might have gotten worried and looked up to check on him. "So, you think you'll keep her around for a while? It could be cool for us all to hang out." 

"Hm," I said simply. I was thinking about Shizuka – or more importantly, exactly how close she and Mokuba could be. She was my girlfriend – that was guaranteed to give them some time together. If he liked her then maybe this whole game could take a new twist. Still… the title "my girlfriend" stuck with me, in a weird way; it made me feel like I should have been protecting her virtues, or laying claim to them myself, not wondering who else could come along and do such for me. I had no interest in her beyond my own plans, but I hadn't realized that she'd come with a sense of duty attached to her. If all boyfriends had that issue… well, maybe Jounouchi wasn't so bad. 

Not fucking likely – I couldn't forgive that he was 18 years old, and the first thing I'd seen was him all over Mokuba. Besides, the idea of Mokuba dating still didn't sit right with me. In a way I was happy that Mokuba was just like every other budding teenager, eager to explore and experiment and do all those things I simply didn't care about. I just wished he wasn't so… "eager" with Jounouchi. I knew exactly how bad it could be if he grew up too soon. "Mokuba," I said; he looked up, and his eyes met mine. "I'm glad you like her." 

He smiled and nodded. "Me too." His gaze shifted up to the wall, and he squinted at the clock for a second before saying, "Damn it, I've gotta go – I'm going to go watch movies with Jounouchi. I'll be back before curfew." He started packing up his school supplies, jamming them haphazardly into his bag, and I glared at my computer screen. 

Even without being there, Jounouchi could ruin a good moment. "Eight o'clock," I reminded him. 

He shook his head, holding up a finger and smiling, much in a way I'd seen Jounouchi do. It didn't help my suddenly foul disposition. "Ten," he amended. "No school tomorrow." 

That gave them – I looked at the clock – four hours. A lot could happen between two boys in four hours, but setting up that damn curfew had been such a big thing. We'd made a deal that I'd stop having guards follow him if he started adhering to "normal" rules. I didn't like it, but he was thrilled when we made the change. I wasn't going to ruin that. "Be good," I resigned. 

"Always. See you later!" 

I watched him go. Whatever was going to happen – Jounouchi crumbling, or a sudden romance between my brother and Shizuka – it had to happen soon. 

I was worried about what might happen in the mean time. 

**-end ch. 4-**

* * *

**notes**  
I had this impression that Mokuba would be one of those people who would WANT to be tactful, but either by lack of know-how or simply because of his age, he wouldn't quite succeed – and I'm not sure how well I caught that here. 

So as I did my final run-through of this, I realized that both Kaiba & Mokuba use the phrase "It's a nice thought…" I thought it'd be cute to leave it, but I decided maybe it wasn't quite right to be so repetitive.


	5. Chapter Five

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Five **

--  
Jounouchi 

There were three things I've never been any good at resisting: good food, good movies, and good kissers. 

It figured that I had all three in my apartment, and two on my bed. Mokuba and I had made the "date" to sit around my apartment and watch movies. In true lazy bachelor fashion, I usually didn't put my bed away – that is, my folding couch bed – but in hindsight, it would've been a really good idea. Mokuba had taken it as an invitation and sprawled out while I had been popping popcorn. My only real option had been to find a place beside him. 

"Jou," he said lazily, eyes not leaving the TV screen, "do you want anything?" 

I gave in to what was probably the millionth once-over in twenty minutes; he had one arm as a pillow as he slowly munched on popcorn with his free hand. _Maybe_. I shook my head and focused on the movie. "No, I'm fine. Thanks, though." 

"No problem." 

Despite my resolve to watch the movie, I found myself watching him out of the corner of my eye, following the path of his hand as it went between the popcorn and his mouth. I wanted that popcorn. And while I was thinking about it, I wanted that mouth too. It was all so wrong – weird as it may have been, Mokuba was my boyfriend, and it wasn't like he was naïve or innocent; I'd kissed him before. _Goddamn it, Kaiba!_ Internally I shouted every swear word I knew, and then made up a few new ones, just to make sure the full extent of my anger was unleashed. Externally, I just stared at the movie. 

And just who did Kaiba think he was, ruining what could have been a perfectly normal relationship? It wasn't like I intended to rape the kid, and it wasn't like we'd ever get married and Kaiba would have to call me brother… I sighed and reached for the popcorn, only to have Mokuba pull it away. "Nuh-uh," he sing-songed. "You said you didn't want anything." 

"I didn't know popcorn was included in your offer." 

"Well, it was." 

I put on my best pout and said, "But I want some now." I reached for the bowl again, but Mokuba lifted it a bit and rolled away, settling on his back and setting the bowl on his stomach. He laughed and popped a few more kernels into his mouth. 

"Too bad." 

It was instinct more than it was intent – just as the popcorn was reaching his lips I leaned forward to catch it with my own; the kiss was more of a nice side effect of the action. Before I knew it, the bowl toppled over on my bed, forgotten as he yanked me down against him. I backed away grinning. "Teach you to steal my popcorn," I teased, pushing myself upright, hoping to get away from him. He didn't give me that opportunity; instead he sat up on his knees, leaning in hesitantly to kiss my neck. "Hey, kid, what are you – " I suppressed a soft sigh as he moved down a bit, finding the spot where my neck and shoulder met. There was something cute about the way he was going about it: slightly unsure, almost nervous… "What are you doing?" I tried again. 

"Isn't this the sort of thing boyfriends do?" he asked, one hand coming to rest flat on my chest. 

"Well, yeah…" I could feel my pulse quickening, and I added, "but – " 

"But what? I'm your boyfriend, so this is normal." He moved to kiss me again, and I gave up resisting, pulling him closer. He straddled my hips, moaning under my lips as my hands traveled down his back, over his ass. He gasped as I squeezed, jerking him against me, and I felt bad when he pulled away – not far, but enough for me to know he had been surprised. Maybe I was going too quick about it… I was on the verge of apologizing when he leaned back in, kissing me eagerly and repeating the motion. His movements were a little jerky, and his nails dug into my shoulder. 

Maybe it wasn't too fast after all. 

"Oh god, Jou," he breathed, breaking our kiss; his head bowed, resting against my shoulder. There was something about the way he spoke, the way he said my name… 

That was the exact moment Kaiba ruined it – just because I remember he existed. I remembered his promise: Anything I did with Mokuba, he'd do with Shizuka. And there I was, my hands on the kid's ass, grinding against him. All of a sudden I imagined Shizuka in his bed, imagined them… I made the most undignified noise of horror I've ever heard and pushed him back. Somehow in all my scrambling I slipped off the bed, landing on my back and hitting my head. I groaned and closed my eyes. 

I hated Kaiba right then, more than I had ever hated him before. He had always insulted me, and there were a few times I had imagined his face on a dartboard, but now he was ruining my sex life too? There really was no justice in the world. 

"Jounouchi," Mokuba said from on the bed, and I could hear the irritation in his voice. "What the hell are you doing?" 

"I… I… Uh…" I couldn't think of what to say! If I told him, Kaiba would tell Shizuka, and she would be devastated (not to mention she'd never forgive me for not telling her to start with). If I kept going with him… Well, hell, I didn't know when or if I would stop, and I didn't want to get the phone call from my baby sister about how she was knocked up by Kaiba. I shuddered. 

Come to think of it, even if I wanted to break up with him, I couldn't without the risk of seeing Shizuka hurt. But Mokuba was a good kid, and I did like him; I didn't want to do that. But not having the option if I needed really bugged me. 

"Well?" he asked testily. Damn – he was cranky. Then again, I was a little pissed too, just not at him; being cut off like that… 

"It's all moving too fast," I lied, saying the only thing I could come up with. 

"What?" 

Hopefully my little gulp wasn't too obvious as crawled back up on the bed. At that point, I couldn't change what we had already done, I just had to make sure I didn't make it any worse and hope that Kaiba wouldn't find out about any of it. I touched his cheek and kissed him softly; he practically melted against me. 

I am the man. 

"It's too fast," I said softly, trying my best to sound like I meant it. "You're not THAT old yet, and I don't want to prove that asshole right by – " 

"Don't talk bad about Niisama," Mokuba scolded – it seemed sort of funny, being chastised by someone who was cuddled against me. "He's not an asshole." 

I nodded, but I didn't mean it. If Mokuba only knew the half of it… "Right – I don't want to prove Kaiba right by doing something you might regret; then he really will think I'm using you." 

Mokuba wasn't deterred – hell, he didn't even sound convinced. "But I know that you're not, and he's just worried that you'll leave me once I outlive my usefulness. If this is what we're supposed to do – " 

Maybe I'm not the most logical person in the world, but I knew exactly what was wrong with what Mokuba was saying. "Humor me, okay? I don't want to incur Kaiba's wrath. Besides, this isn't about 'supposed to's; relationships are about doing things at your own pace." It sounded cheesy but it had the desired effect; Mokuba was silenced, looking at me as though he was deep in thought. He bit his lip and sighed, crawling off my lap and finding a place to lie on my bed, eying the popcorn spilled on the sheets. 

"Fine," he finally said. He stretched out on his stomach and laid his head on his arms. I patted his back and stood up; I needed a drink, and a few seconds away from him. I felt guilty – not only was a lying to him, but in a way, I was leading him on. That bothered me; I hadn't been with the kid more than a couple weeks, and already I was lying. If there was one thing I hated, I hated lying to people I cared about. Kaiba was the only person who could get me to lie to someone I cared about, only because it was easier than telling the truth. If I told Mokuba the truth, I lost. If I told Shizuka, she'd be heartbroken. If I killed Kaiba, I'd end up in prison. 

It was a no-win situation. 

"You thirsty?" I called from the kitchen, getting a glass out of the cupboard. 

"No." There was a pause, and I went to the sink, getting some water from the tap. "So I talked to Shizuka the other day at school." 

The glass slipped from my hands, and I blinked. I didn't want Mokuba to get any cute ideas – 

"I was thinking we should all go out." 

– like that. I groaned and went back into the living room, falling backwards onto the bed, nearly landing on his feet. "You can't possibly think that's a good idea." 

"Why not?" 

_Because if I see him lay a hand on my sister again, I'll break his fingers_. "It's Kaiba. And me. You should know that's like lighting a match in a gas tank." 

He kicked me gently in the ribs. "But I'll be there, and Shizuka will too – between us, we can keep you guys in control, eh? It'll be fun." 

"About as fun as being castrated," I replied grumpily. 

"Please?" he whined, turning pleading eyes my way. Damn it! "I really want you and Seto to get along, and I bet Shizuka does to. Don't you think that'd be best for everyone?" 

My resistance lasted about five seconds – even if I ended up relenting, I was proud of that at least. "Fine. What do you have in mind?" 

**--  
Mokuba**

"The zoo?" Shizuka repeated, just like Jounouchi had when I told him. 

Okay, so it wasn't the smartest thing – I probably should've called Shizuka and made sure SHE was okay with that whole double-date thing before I roped Jou into it, but… well, mostly, I wanted to be a pain in his ass, since he seemed to get such a kick out of being a huge pain in mine. And I knew that Niisama was just about as big a pain in the ass as it got for Jou. That's what he got for being such a tease. 

It wasn't just that, though; I still couldn't put my finger on what it was about Shizuka that had Niisama so… I don't know, so not-himself. I'd heard him talking to her over the phone – and as if seeing Niisama on the phone wasn't weird enough (he hadn't looked very comfortable, though, which made it a little better), he was laughing, and being nice with her. So if I couldn't get it by looking at her, if I couldn't get it by talking to Niisama, then the last option was to get them together and see if maybe there was some chemistry that was only evident when they were near each other. 

"Yeah, the zoo," I said. 

"Isn't that a little… odd? I mean, we're not kids." 

I shook my head, yawning. I was tired, really; it was past ten, and being with Jou… well, even without all the fooling around, and even if he was being stiff all night, he was still tiring. "There's other stuff to do there. There's a pond, and… I don't know, it's a big open space; think of it as an experiment." It wasn't entirely a lie. "We're going to see how well Niisama and Jou get along; if it works out, we can make our way to smaller places. Sound okay?" 

That made her laugh… and it sounded nice, made me smile in return. No wonder Jounouchi spoke so fondly of her. "That makes perfect sense. Speaking of Oniichan, how has he been lately?" 

_An absolute prude._ "Uh, good," I said, trying not to blush. That wasn't a lie either. "And Niisama?" 

She giggled, and I just KNEW she was blushing. "The same." That was the most awkward thing I'd heard, given the connotation I'd meant when I said good. Maybe she misunderstood it, or maybe… I scrunched up my face, fighting a small noise of horror. 

I loved Niisama, there was no doubt about that, but to imagine him and Shizuka… It wasn't right – maybe it was just because I was so used to Niisama as some sort of … I don't know, but I'd figure when it came to sex and that sort of stuff, he'd give a monk a run for his money. Maybe that's why it felt wrong to imagine Niisama with a girlfriend – and if it was all in my head, then there was nothing wrong at all. 

I liked that idea. "Well…" _Hope my brother is as good as yours._

"I've got to go," she chimed, luckily before I thought up any more clever comments. "But the zoo sounds great; tomorrow afternoon, right?" 

"Yeah. I'll let Niisama know, you just bring Jou, okay?" 

"Okay," she said. "Goodnight!" 

"'Night." I hung up the phone and took a deep breath, going out into the hallway. That left one more hurtle… "Hey, Niisama!" 

**-end ch. 5-**

* * *

**notes**  
Ummmmm............... Yeah. I've got nothin'. Transitional chapter, come to think of it. I never know what to say to those. 


	6. Chapter Six

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Six  
--  
Shizuka**

"Hey!"

I turned to see Mokuba coming towards us with Seto in tow, obviously reluctant to follow – exactly how I had shown up with Oniichan. "Hi!" I called as I waved and grinned; Oniichan just grunted, nodding his head in their direction.

"Why are you so happy?" Oniichan grumbled, and I elbowed him in the ribs.

"Be good," I hissed as they came up in front of us. The second Seto and Katsuya come face to face, I lost all hope of them sorting out their differences; they seemed to be in some silent battle of wills, not breaking eye contact for at least a minute. Without warning, Seto grinned, leaning over to kiss my cheek.

"Hello," he said.

I managed to squeak out a little, "Hi." No matter how many times he did that – or anything else – it always caught me off-guard. Before I could come up with a more intelligent reply, though, Mokuba caught my eye. It looked like he had something to say. A second later he cleared his throat.

"Okay, I want to hit up the petting zoo first; I'll go buy some food and meet you guys there." He took a step away when he paused and looked over his shoulder, adding, "Would you like to join me, Shizuka?"

I could feel both Seto and Oniichan staring at me, as though my answer was important. How could the air be so tense over such a simple question? "Sure," I replied. "Meet you guys there."

Mokuba practically dragged me away, and once we were out of earshot of our older brothers, he said, "I think I've figured them out." I was tempted to tell him not to say anything – he was smiling, but I had this feeling in my gut that it would be bad. Still, with such a cheeky little smile, it couldn't be too horrible, and… I had to know. Maybe then I'd stop worrying about it.

"And…?"

"This is going to sound weird, but I think they have an agreement."

"As in, they got along long enough to sit down and talk about something?"

He nodded. "Yeah – amazing, the things brothers can do when they care about their siblings. You see, I didn't think it until this morning – Niisama and I were talking a little about dating and Jou. Well, we talked about…" He coughed weakly, "stuff, and he made this comment about 'new boundaries', and he had this look on his face like he was thinking."

"New boundaries?" I felt like a parrot, but I couldn't quite follow him – how did that add up to them getting along?

"Yeah." He stared at me, as though waiting for me to reply. I shrugged, and he shook his hands, as though clearing some invisible canvas between us. "Look, Jou likes me, and Seto likes you. Thing is, they both worry about us – they don't trust each other, and don't want to see either of us hurt. So they sit down and they make a deal – I bet one isn't allowed to do more than other, sort of like a way to keep each other in check while restraining themselves. It's definitely something Niisama would think of." He looked incredibly proud of himself, and if I weren't so confused, I'd have been incredibly amused by it.

"I can understand why they'd want to do that to each other, but why themselves?"

He smiled disarmingly and turned to get some animal food – I hadn't even noticed that we were at the proper vendor. As we began our walk back to the petting zoo he said, "Because they care about us."

He had no idea how much those words relieved me! I spent so much time wondering if I was some experiment or form of revenge – for the Kaiba that Oniichan always described, that would make perfect sense. Sometimes, the Seto that I knew seemed too foreign. Hearing Mokuba's theory at least lifted the nervousness from my chest. "So… should we do something?" I asked, stretching my arms up over my head as we walked. I was still a little queasy, but I felt much better.

"We can just talk to them," he answered. "We can tell them that it was sort of noble, but uncalled for. This can all end without bloodshed if we're all mature about it."

I nodded and looked at the aquarium as we passed it. I paused outside the open doorway, though I wasn't sure what caught my attention. Then I heard something: Oniichan yelling, to be precise. "Hey, listen," I said quietly, pulling Mokuba in the doorway, "Hear that?" He nodded, and we followed Oniichan's voice all the way to a tube that cut through some water; all sorts of fish were swimming past the clear surface, but the most interesting animals were the ones facing off in the middle of the hall; if we peeked just over the edge, we could see them, but I didn't dare – I didn't want them to see us.

" – and you're fucked up!" Oniichan fumed.

"Who are you to call me fucked up?" Seto replied, and his voice was different – like he was back to being the Seto that Oniichan had always warned me about. Cold. Clipped. "You're the pedophile who's using my little brother."

"It's not like that, and he's not a kid! Besides, even if I was a pedophile, at least I'm not YOU. I mean, goddamn it, Kaiba, did you see her face when you kissed her? Does the fact that you're going to hurt her even register with you? You can't fuck with people's hearts like that!"

Queasy wasn't a strong enough word to describe my stomach. I wanted Seto to deny those words, I wanted Katsuya to be mistaken – he was too protective.

Seto failed my hopes. "You know the deal," he said simply. "If you don't like it, then you're perfectly capable of fixing the problem yourself. You leave my brother alone, I'll leave your sister alone, remember?"

"Seto…" Mokuba said beside me, his voice soft and bewildered.

"You're sick, Kaiba," Katsuya spat, but I didn't stick around to hear what Seto had to say – I took off for another part of the aquarium. I could feel tears stinging my eyes. How… How… I didn't want to believe it – I had just decided to feel better, Mokuba had just give me that little bit of hope…

I found myself at a kids' station. All around me children were playing in an elongated tray of water, each at a different station, poking and giggling at little aquatic creatures. I sat down at the end station, folding my arms on the dry surface and leaning over the water, staring blankly into the water. Mokuba had been off; there wasn't an arrangement because they cared, there was an ultimatum because Seto wanted Katsuya away from Mokuba.

Seto cared about Mokuba, Katsuya cared about Mokuba, Mokuba cared about Seto… Where exactly was I supposed to fit into all this? I was just a device, an obstruction for Oniichan.

"Shizuka…" I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I knew it was Mokuba. I turned my face away from him, my hair forming a wall between us – I noticed the water ripple before I realize that my tears were the cause. "I didn't think…"

"It's fine," I murmured. "It's not your fault."

He moved to my other side, kneeling down so he could look up at my face. "But I… oh, don't cry," he all but pleaded, "Maybe we heard wrong, or maybe – "

"Don't," I replied harshly, wiping the tears from my cheeks. "Don't try to lie to me; I think I've had my fill for today."

He took a deep breath; his face was red, and his voice was harsh as he said, "We have to do something – this is…" his voice were strangely soft, "I can't believe Niisama said…"

"Well, he did," I said, trailing my fingertips through the water, watching the ripples that followed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mokuba stand, but he didn't leave. I took a deep breath and continued, "I can break up with him; then this whole thing will work out for everyone – you and Katsuya won't have any obstacles, and Seto won't have to pretend."

"That's not right, though," Mokuba said. He caught my hand, and I looked up at him. "We need to do something, talk to them, or…"

I nodded, pulling my hand away and wiping it off on my jeans. "Not now, okay?" I couldn't bring myself to look at Seto or Katsuya right then; I couldn't handle it.

Mokuba nodded and patted my head – it was weird, but sort of comforting. "I wouldn't think so; we'll go somewhere else now and find them later." He stood and held out his hand, as if offering to help me up. I guess chivalry wasn't dead. "Now don't cry, okay? We can have a good time without them." I suddenly found myself more angry than sad. I wanted to storm back into that tube and give them both a piece of my mind…

I managed a weak smile; hesitantly, I took his hand and followed.

**--  
Mokuba**

Niisama wasn't perfect – no one knew that better than me – but he wasn't this LOW either. Sure, he wasn't the nicest guy ever, and I'd been by his side through worse, but this was different. He knew a little better now… Hurting people wasn't supposed to come natural to him, not anymore – and the way he was talking to Jounouchi, how casually he'd brushed off his relationship with Shizuka… it'd sounded very natural.

Speaking of Shizuka, she was walking beside me, and it bugged me how obviously quiet she was – it was contrasted by her little sniffles, and even with the noise of dozens of people around us, those little noises were louder than anything I'd ever had to listen to.

I'd never really seen a girl cry before. That was what really got to me – I'd seen Anzu get worried to the point of tears, seen Mai laugh so hard she cried, but I'd never seen a girl look as heartbroken as Shizuka had in the aquarium. I'd never seen a girl cry quite like that, and I never wanted to.

I opened my mouth to say something, only to find myself stuck. I wasn't going to tell her it was alright – that would be a lie, and we both knew it.

"I really just hoped that he was turning over a new leaf," she sighed, stopping and sitting at a bench, hands wringing in her lap. I stood just a few feet in front of her, watching and waiting for her to continue. "It's not like I didn't know he was being weird for… well, for him." She looked up at me; she wasn't crying anymore, but her eyes were red, and seeing that made me even madder, and I spoke before I even knew quite what was going through my head.

"We should get back at them."

Revenge wasn't an everyday thing for me. Maybe I wasn't much better right then than Niisama was; maybe we really never would get past being brats about getting our way. But we'd never been pitted against each other quite like this; I'd never wanted to get Niisama back for anything. The fact that it was all over a girl… that was different.

"How? How much worse does it get than using someone?" She cringed slightly as she spoke, but she didn't start crying again.

It came to me like a stroke of evil genius, and if the situation didn't feel so serious, I might have laughed like a movie-style mad scientist. Instead, I settled for a sly smile. "We use them. This is all about them not wanting either of us to go too far, so we should do just that – lead them on, and make them regret that they messed up."

She smiled, but the motion didn't quite reach her eyes. "They'll both freak out."

I nodded. "What do you think?"

"I think…" She closed her eyes, and for a second I wondered if she'd fallen asleep, or died – could girls die of heartbreak? – but after a minute she looked up. She looked determined, like Jounouchi when he got really pissed off. "I think it's a good idea."

Before we could hash out any specifics Jounouchi came up, looking like he had some right to be pissed off. "Hey, Shizuka. Can we talk?"

She could've yelled at him, taken him on and called him on everything we heard… but she just smiled and nodded. "Of course, Oniichan. What is it?" Jounouchi looked at me, biting his lower lip, and looked back at Shizuka.

"Um, can we walk?" he asked, looking just a little guilty. "Nothing personal Mokuba, but…"

"It's nothing," I replied, snappier than I'd intended. I'd have to work on that, especially if we were going to get them back. "I'll meet you guys… somewhere. I should probably find Niisama." Jounouchi made some smart-ass remark under his breath, but I ignored it. However, I couldn't resist eavesdropping a little as I walked away.

"I just wanted to warn you about Kaiba – I just… Don't do anything stupid with him. He's crafty," Jounouchi said ominously, like he was trying to warn her of a curse or something.

I just barely caught Shizuka's reply: "Don't worry, Oniichan," she told him. "I can handle him."

**-end ch.6-**

* * *

**notes**  
cue daytime soap music The further we get into this, the more I doubt it. TT 

Shizuka's cute – not so much here, lol, I mean in general; she looks (and often acts) like the kind of girl that people try to protect. So I wanted to try to portray something a certain sort of surprise in being disappointed here, not only because it's from (two) someone(s) she could care about, but also as sort of a first time – a virgin to disappointment? Anyway…

On the names; I realized that maybe I'm not so obvious why Shizuka goes between Katsuya & Oniichan, or Mokuba goes between Seto & Niisama or Jou & Jounouchi – I actually do have a theory on this, it isn't random. Well, besides an overload in "nii" (lol), I figured first-name usage (or in Mokuba's case, using 'Jounouchi' – because I think Jou is a cute nickname. ;) is reserved for seriousness, or anger. And I can't see Shizuka calling Jounouchi … Jounouchi. It doesn't quite make sense to me.

Er. That's all. ducks out and hides


	7. Chapter Seven

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**-  
Kaiba**

My own genius was my undoing – it was proven time and time again as I got older and ended up in increasingly difficult situations because of it. I found it amusing that my most taxing problem to date happened to have a name, a personality, and an idiot for an older brother. It would figure that Jounouchi would fuck up every single one of my plans to be rid of his sister quickly and painlessly. Everything Mokuba told me about them... I had to catch up, or I wouldn't be holding up my threat – it wouldn't be worth anything if I didn't come through.

So I brought her home for dinner; it seemed classier than playing catch up in the backseat of my car after one of our dates. We were alone in the living, and she was talking about some sort of camp she went to last summer; I watched her silently, smiling and leaning sideways against the back of the couch. She really was a cute girl; I wouldn't go so far as to say that I was attracted to her, but there was something to her that even I couldn't quite ignore. I could understand why Jounouchi would want to protect her – he probably saw the child in her, still shining in her eyes, just like I saw in Mokuba.

Damn Jounouchi, and damn the emotion in his eyes as he managed to curse me in two different languages for using his sister, for sabotaging my brother. While I was at it, damn his obvious guilt too; it reflected my own. He'd known the consequences and accepted them. I had no reason to feel guilty.

"Seto," she said, laughter in her voice, "are you okay? You look like you're zoning out." She brought the glass of juice in her hands to her lips, but her eyes prodded me to explain myself. She looked happy and just a touch curious. It was staggering that being with me made her happy.

"Just thinking."

She set the glass on the coffee table, licking her lips just slightly and leaning closer. I had to quell my nerves; she was providing the perfect opening and I had catching up to do... as soon as I gathered my wits enough to take the opportunity. "About what?" she asked.

'Your brother' probably wasn't the best answer given the situation, so I feigned a smile and simply said, "You." It wasn't a lie, and it had a better effect than I expected; she giggled a little and leaned forward enough to touch her lips to mine.

_Carpe Diem_, they say. If I could have taken a deep breath to steady myself I would have, but all I could do was ease her back against the couch cushions and brush my tongue against her lips, hoping she'd open for me – and she did. That shouldn't have made me feel bad. Of course she trusted me; I had taken care to present an image she could trust...

By all definitions, there had to be something wrong with me – I had a good-looking girl warm and willing beneath me, but I couldn't focus on her at all. I couldn't get past that simple act of her letting me in, of trusting me or being happy with me. I could still hear Jounouchi accusing me of being fucked up, even as her legs mingled awkwardly with mine, as my hands explored her sides, dipped under her shirt. At best, I could say that I played the role well: my mouth moved to her neck, her collarbone; my hand traveled up, brushed one breast. She made some noise, like she was trying to hold back something louder; it caught my attention enough that I lifted my head to look at her. Her breathing was rapid, cheeks flushed, eyes first closed, then opening to look up at me... Pretty as she was, even tempting, I didn't see a girlfriend on my couch, or even a girl I could consider making a girlfriend.

I saw someone's little sister.

I had to get off her, had to get away from her one way or another. Besides, I had caught up – Mokuba said that his clothes always stayed on, and her shirt was just minutes from coming off. "Excuse me," I said, sitting up and reaching into my back pocket for my cell phone. Cheesy, ridiculous, and bordering on unbelievable, but I was hoping she wouldn't notice.

"Did it ring?" she asked, sitting up properly and smoothing over her clothes. There was still a dark blush on her cheeks, and she wouldn't look me directly in the eye.

I nodded. "Set it to vibrate earlier," I lied. I never set my cell phone to vibrate; it was either on, or it was off. The one time I had, I had nearly jumped out of my skin when it rang. Turning my back to her, I feigned the phone conversation – called myself in to work. How utterly pathetic. There I was at eighteen, ducking out of a perfect opportunity. Last I checked there was something wrong when my thirteen-year-old brother had racier stories than me. But Shizuka didn't react badly to "work calling;" she just wrapped her arms around my shoulders and kissed my cheek.

"I'll see myself out," she said. I grimaced as she pulled away, and waited until I heard the living room door shut to fall back on the couch and let out the breath I hadn't even realized I had been holding. I stared at the ceiling and started counting little cracks.

She was just some girl; she wasn't important. I shouldn't have had problems being even remotely intimate with her: she was pretty, she was nice, she was patient... If I had ever wanted to settle down, she'd be a good one to settle with. But I had no urge to settle... and I felt bad for using her.

Guilt.

I had used people in business, and even personally, if I thought it would further me getting my way. What about Shizuka suddenly inspired such a ridiculous emotional response?

"Fuck," I growled to myself, standing up to leave for Kaiba Corp. After all, if I was going to use it as an excuse, I might as well go in and get something done.

**-  
Shizuka**

No matter how hard I tried, Seto never made one-hundred-percent sense. In the beginning, he was being weird, and I didn't know why. Now, he was being weird, and I knew why... and I almost didn't care. Once the living room door was out of sight, I paused, leaning against the wall and taking a deep breath.

He was an asshole. Oniichan had warned me and I had gone out with him anyway. You make your own bed, or however that saying goes. But no matter how hard I tried turn his own tricks on him, he still managed to keep one step ahead of me somehow. How was I supposed to hate and break up with a guy who could turn my knees to jelly by just smiling at me?

"Remember," I breathed aloud. "He's just a really good actor."

I resumed my walk, trying to remember exactly how to get to Mokuba's game room... I had to talk to him too. I bit my lip, trying to figure out exactly what to say – 'I'm having second thoughts' seemed ungrateful. It was dramatic on his part to be so mad at Oniichan, but there was something flattering about it, that he was so dramatic on my behalf. I'd seen boys act silly over girls – Honda and Otogi were pretty prime examples of that – but never to the extent of ruining their own good thing.

I smiled as I reached the door. "Just a good actor," I repeated to myself. "You can be too."

**-  
Mokuba**

"Did you know that your brother is an awful liar?" Shizuka asked from the doorway. I didn't take my eyes off the TV screen; I didn't want to lose my game just to look at her – she'd still be there in a couple seconds.

I shrugged. "He used to be much better." I didn't add that I was happier now that he couldn't do it as easily. After a second I paused, glancing over to say something else… and I just sort of lost the words when I saw her there, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed just under her chest and a grin on her face. She was wearing a black skirt and a red button-down shirt. With that self-satisfied smile on her face, she was really... hot.

I blushed at the thought – it wasn't quite right to be thinking that my boyfriend's sister was hot. "What happened?"

"He freaked out on the couch," she said. "He must be the only guy in the world who would fake a phone call when he had his hand in a girl's shirt."

I blushed deeper, imagining Seto's hand... I turned back to my game. I'd never really looked at a girl like that; it just never occurred to me that I might want to. And it wasn't like there was an overwhelming amount of her to look at – I couldn't figure out WHY I was so intrigued. "You're really getting into this revenge thing then, right? You look pleased." I cringed – that hadn't come out at all how I meant it.

"Well..." She sighed, and I turned to look again – _do not look at her chest!_ – and she wasn't smiling anymore; she looked more like she was going to tell me some bad news. "I've never been in a situation quite like this with Seto. I guess... Never mind." She smiled again, but even if it was cute, I couldn't reciprocate, not when I thought about the look on her face just seconds before.

"Jou can't even come up with a decent excuse anymore. He just jumps up and says that if we go too far, he'd be proving Seto right." I grinned triumphantly; I couldn't really help it. Boyfriend or no, he was pretty funny when he freaked out. "He's so easy, though. I think its some sort of miracle that he's resisted me at all."

She laughed uneasily, wringing her hands in front of her. "Do you feel bad about it?"

"No. Jounouchi and Seto made a stupid choice, and they're paying for it." I didn't mean to come off as though I was saying Jou was bad, and I loved my brother, even when he pissed me off – I just wanted to make sure they both understood how wrong they were. I was mad at Seto for thinking it was okay, and I was mad of Jounouchi for letting him. If they wanted to play using kid gloves, that was fine. I didn't intend to return the favor. "So, do you know when you want to break it to them?" I asked.

"Do you?"

"It's your decision," I stated. "This is your revenge, Shizuka. I'm just helping you along."

"I..." She faltered for a second, looking up at the ceiling. "Summer break is in two weeks. I can't wait," she said happily, looking back to smile at me. "It's going to be nice to have some time to relax. Why not then? We could do it the first or second day, and not have to worry about them the rest of the vacation. Plus, it gives them a little more time to sweat."

I nodded. "Sounds great. So..." I felt myself blushing again, and I hadn't even ogled her! At the rate I was going, she'd think I liked her or something. That'd be embarrassing, and too hard to try to explain – harder than explaining what I kept staring at her boobs; at least the latter could be chalked up to hormones. "Want to stay for a bit?"

"Sure." She left the doorway and sat beside me on the floor, curling her legs beneath her. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Mokuba, what's your brother really like?"

"He's… just him," I said, tilting my head to look at her. "I don't really know how to explain him. Why do you ask?"

She shrugged. "I just can't figure him out. One minute he's gentle and nice with me, and sweet about you, but he's so cold with Oniichan... Then he's sweet again, like he can turn it on and off."

"Sometimes…" I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. Usually I wouldn't say anything at all; Niisama didn't like to be talked about. Shizuka was different, though; Niisama was dating her, and I... I trusted her. "He hides a lot, so I guess he's just gotten used to it. But he's not as bad as he sounded at the zoo, Shizuka, honestly. He's not really so cold. Don't hate him. I don't care if you're angry with him, but just don't hate him." I didn't mean to beg – and in a proud little corner of my mind, I assured myself that I hadn't – but I couldn't help it. I told myself that most of people who hated Niisama never gave him a chance, but if his girlfriend – in-name as that title may have been – could hate him, then...

"I don't hate him."

I looked at her and exhaled; that was the best thing she'd said all night. "Thanks. I bet he thought it was the right thing to do."

She nodded, staring off into space as though she was reflecting on something. "Probably. Big brothers aren't the most logical beings on the planet." She smiled fondly, smoothing her skirt over her legs. "I remember when Mama and I first moved into our house here, Oniichan spent a week practically interviewing all my new friends; he was that determined to make sure I didn't fall in with the wrong crowd. I was so mad at him at the time, but looking back on it, it was sweet of him. Maybe someday we'll all look back on this the same way, and realize that it's a sweet gesture, just stupid."

It sounded just like Jou to do something like that. "Exactly. You've got every right to be mad; you got – " I stopped. I had almost said, 'You got lied to the worst.' Great way to make a girl feel better. "You've got a typical big brother," I amended, and mentally kicked myself for sounding so ridiculous. She tilted her head in question, and I continued, "Niisama does stuff like that, to take care of me. I could have ridden the bus to school this year, but Niisama found everything wrong with it, so I still get driven there every day. And – " She bopped me gently on the head, and I swatted her hands away. "What was that for?" I demanded, rubbing my head just a little where she'd gotten me. It didn't hurt, but it wasn't exactly the greatest feeling either.

She smiled. "It's okay to say this whole thing sucks, you know. It really does; I don't feel good about what they did, and… I don't really feel good about what we're doing, not really, because in a way, what Seto did... it's forgivable." I opened my mouth to tell her we could stop – and really, we could, if it wasn't making her feel better – but she held up a hand to stop me. "It doesn't excuse him, and I still want to get them back, but even I'd do something drastic if it'd..." She looked down at her knees. "Never mind; I'm rambling." She yawned and looked at the clock, then turned back to me. "I should get home; it's late, and Mama hates when I'm late."

"That's fine," I said, sparing a glance at the clock as I spoke. It was nine – barely late, but I guess if that was what her mom said... I wish she could've stayed a little longer. "I… Are you still up for this weekend, then? Because we don't have to if you – "

"It's fine," she said. "Goodnight." She stood, patting me on the head one more time before going for the door. Damn it, why did she do that? Adults did it all the time, and it always made me feel really small, like I was still some child. I didn't want to seem young to Shizuka; I was almost the same age as her, and even if it was only for a year, we were in the same school. Plus... I didn't want to think that she looked down on in me in any way. Jeez, all my friends were right; dealing with girls was complicated – and I wasn't even dating this one.

"Wait," I said, pushing myself to my feet. If I wanted to make sure she didn't see me as a kid, I might as well do something mature. "I'll walk you to the door."

Maybe it was my imagination, but I swear she was blushing as I led her out.

**-end ch. 7-**

* * *

**notes**  
Eek! I've been a horrid author with this one; the chapter has been done forever, but RL decided it wasn't going to play fair, and Chapter Seven became a casualty of the battle. It barely made it out alive. :laughs: Anyway, with any luck I won against RL (for now, haha), and the updates on this should be a little more consistent. So sorry! 

On that note, elsalhir has taken over beta'ing the rest of this fic, so a very fond thank you to her for no only agreeing to do that, but for doing a good job as well. :heart: D

During the editing of this chapter I've come to the conclusion I don't feel like I know enough words for anything. And oh my dear god almightly, I'm so unaccustomed to writing het in any sexual manner. It's been so long. I'm afraid it sounds like a cheesy romance novel. TT And personally, I'm about six seconds from a rampant homicidal ending to this whole story - because Kaiba's character is killing me. The tone never feels just right. ;

**edit**  
Thanks to sarasusamiga for pointing out some errors in this chapter (the "flattered" there was supposed to be "faltered"). Much appreciated! D


	8. Chapter Eight

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Eight  
-  
Jounouchi**

"Hey, are you all here?" I asked Mokuba, poking him in the shoulder. He shook his head affirmatively and smiled up at me - that was what I had wanted to see. I liked his smile more than anything; I guess it made sense that Kaiba would go to extremes to make him happy… 

Ten minutes with Mokuba, and already I was thinking about Kaiba? Absolutely fucking terrific. It was like a bad omen. 

I hated to say it, but I understood Kaiba. After all, he had the same leverage over me that I had over him: he was perfectly aware that Mokuba would be pissed off if he ever found out what was going on, and I knew that Shizuka would be just as angry if I did anything to injure Kaiba… That was the only thing saving his hide. I liked that my sister was happy, that she liked him; I seemed to be the only one who didn't. 

"Hey," Mokuba protested brightly, "now you look zoned out!" Before I could apologize, he looked away and perked up, announcing, "Look, its Shizuka!" With that he was gone; I had to visually follow his beeline to find her - sitting at a bench in front of some vendor. It was cute, how he was by her side in an instant; they were smiles and laughs, gesturing excitedly to this game and that. He seemed a lot more there with Shizuka than he had been with me. And it wasn't just then, either - sometimes he seemed so distracted that his kisses came off as a half-hearted, or at least a lot less enthusiastic than when we first started dating. It was probably because I had been so hot and cold with him. Hell, maybe it was all part of Kaiba's fucked-up planning, because if something didn't give real soon, I had the impression Mokuba would be more than happy to call the whole relationship off. 

Guiltily, that didn't bother me as much as it probably should have. Maybe I was just a little bit hurt - I'd miss his constant company and how weirdly close we'd gotten from a nonsexual standpoint; I was worried about losing that, but stressful relationships never did work well for me. 

"Hey there, Oniichan," Shizuka said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, squeezing me tight and kissing my cheek. "How have you been this week?" 

"Great," I replied, smiling down at her. "Where have you been? Every time I call, Mom says you're out." 

"Well, I've been out with Seto," she said as if I should have known. "We had dinner at his place on Tuesday…" She trailed off and giggled, covering her mouth. _I don't want to know, I don't want to know, I don't - _

"What?" I asked suspiciously. "What are you laughing about?" 

"Well…" She giggled again, looking away. I had to force myself to keep breathing - if she was about to declare that she was now 'a woman'… "What was it like the first time you fooled around with someone?" 

I felt the blood drain from my face, and I know that the only thing keeping me on the feet was the sheer force of will not to make an ass of myself right there. Fooling around, fucking like rabbits, it didn't matter what she meant - they were equally bad, and I absolutely refused to acknowledge that my baby sister had implied that she and Kaiba had… 

"Oh, uh, it was nice, why?" My mouth felt dry - there had to be a vending machine somewhere. I could stop by it, tip it until it crushed me to death… Oh! There was one; if nothing else, I could at least get a soda. I started tugging her towards it gently. She followed, but kept talking. 

"Well, of course its nice," she said impatiently, one hand on her hip while I gripped the other. 

_Ew!_ I didn't need to think about that. We reached the vending machine, and I let her go to dig my yen from my pocket. I jammed my thumb against the coin slot as I put the money in, but the pain that shot up my finger was NOTHING compared to the conversation with Shizuka. If it got me out of THAT, I'd jam my thumb until I broke the damn thing. 

"But… You like boys, Oniichan." 

"Just pick up on that?" I teased, and she hit me in the arm. 

"No, but if there's anything you'd suggest to… uh… Oniichan, are you okay? You look a little pale." 

Of course I wasn't okay! What kind of brother would be okay when his little sister asks for pointers like that? I took my coke from the machine and said calmly, "Kick him in the crotch and run like hell." 

"I'm being serious," she laughed. "It's not like I'm a baby anymore." 

"You're a baby until I'm dead and gone," I recited, popping open my soda and taking a sip. 

She leaned back against the vending machine and retorted, "This from the guy trying steal a thirteen-year-old's virginity." 

And there went my nice cold sip of coke; I coughed, hunching over as though I'd been hit. In a way, I kind of had. "I am not!" I protested, looking her dead in the eye like I would at Kaiba. From him, I'd expect that sort of shit, but from my own sister… I took a step back when I realized that she was giving me the same look. 

"Then what were you expecting to get from hooking up with him? His company?" 

"I… uh…" Shit. She had a good point. At the time, my motivation had been largely physical, but I did enjoy his company. A lot. 

"Well?" she prompted. "Looks, devotion, optimism, kindness, or - " 

"Okay, okay, I don't know! Goddamn, when did you start keeping track of his good points, anyway?" I replied, kicking my toe against the cement, then turning to go somewhere else - she followed. Speaking of Mokuba, where the hell had he gone? "But even so, that doesn't mean I'm gonna molest him and brag about it, okay? Did you pick this stuff up from - " 

"You're hopeless," she sighed, not letting me finish. Damn, I had some good insults to describe Kaiba too. "Forget I said anything." She waved at someone behind me, and I turned to see Kaiba and Mokuba not far behind us. "Lets go!" In ten seconds flat, she was back to being my normal, smiling sister, glares and insults forgotten - instead she had me by the wrist and was yanking me towards the last person on earth I wanted to see. 

I don't get chicks, not even the ones I share blood with. 

Kaiba was smiling, and I hated it. Fucking faker. My only consolation was that instead of fawning over him like she usually did, Shizuka kissed his cheek and grabbed Mokuba by the hand; they ran off towards the Ferris wheel. It was just understood that we were supposed to follow, and I almost did, until I realized that Kaiba and I were left alone; Mokuba and Shizuka got into a cage with two girls about their age. Well, fuck that; I turned to hightail it out of there, as did Kaiba. At least there was one thing in the universe we agreed on: we didn't want to be alone together. 

"Guys!" Mokuba and Shizuka yelled together, and we both turned. "At least pretend to be civil and wait for us!" Shizuka added - Mokuba was just glaring from behind the metal mesh of the cage. To our credit, Kaiba and I did our brotherly/boyfriend duty and walked to a bench that was nearby. I sat down, and Kaiba stood by a tree, glaring off into the distance. I couldn't stop looking up at him - if I could just imagine the look on his face if I could beat this stupid idea right out of his head… I closed my eyes, seeking to distract myself from realizing that we were alone. It didn't work. I'd wanted to talk to Kaiba about his stupid plan anyway. "Does it hurt?" I asked. 

"What?" 

"All that smiling - must be a lot of work. Maybe you should call it quits before you sprain something." 

Kaiba rolled his eyes, shifting against the tree. "Original." 

Okay, the ice was broken; I had to just go for the kill. "Look, Kaiba, you've had your fun." I swallowed. I didn't want to say it, but if stroking his ego a little would help… Just for Shizuka… "I'll admit, you're winning this one, so can we drop it? Just ease my sister out gently." 

"You know the stipulations," Kaiba said. His tone… it couldn't have been any more insulting if he'd yawned. 

"To hell with your stipulations! Do you realize how into you Shizuka is?" 

"And what about Mokuba?" he snapped. "What makes you think he's any less involved in you? Don't try to make yourself sound innocent." 

I closed my eyes. If I had to look at him, I WOULD punch him - not the best negotiation tactic, even when dealing with assholes. Not to mention I'd have two angry kids on my back for it. "I'm not, but Shizuka is! At least I care, right? Do you even have any idea of what its like to care about someone?" 

"Ask your sister," he said. 

The certainty of his voice, cocky as hell… "Fuck you!" He was lucky that I didn't kick his ass. Lucky that Shizuka liked him - lucky that much as I hated him, I wanted her happy more. 

"What was that?" he taunted. "Can't you face your enemies with your eyes open?" 

My eyes flew open, and I looked at him dead on - like hell I'd let him think he could get away with calling me a coward. "Can't you hear right, Kaiba?" I ground out through gritted teeth. " I said: Fuck. You." 

"As often as you say that, I'd think you were jealous of Shizuka," He replied. I practically jumped up - I really was going to hit him, but I caught sight of the Ferris Wheel, still slowly climbing. Shizuka and Mokuba were maybe a third of the way up. I sighed and thumped back against the bench, letting my head fall back over the edge. 

Like I said. Kaiba was fucking lucky. 

**-  
Shizuka**

"Food," Mokuba said the second we stepped off the Ferris Wheel - and I wasn't even completely off; I only had one foot on the ground. "Lets get some ice cream before we go anywhere near Niisama & Jou." 

I laughed. "Okay - lead the way." He grabbed my hand, running off and dragging me with him. What was it with boys and taking my hand; it wasn't like I wasn't capable of doing things myself. Then again, Mokuba and Oniichan were two completely different people. 

For instance, I didn't let go of Mokuba's hand when he ordered the ice cream - I'd even admit that I had willingly grabbed my own order just to keep his hand where it was. And I'm pretty sure he knew - I mean, it was really obvious. Of course, I didn't mean it as anything big, I assured myself; I just… liked holding his hand. It seemed like a perfectly normal thing to do; we were kind of close, after all. I don't know what Mokuba thought of it, but he looked like he was blushing as we made our way back to our brothers. 

Boyfriends. Boyfriends that we - well, at least I held hands with on a somewhat regular basis. It was just one of those unspoken stipulations of dating. That… well, it sort of made my 'just friends' handholding excuse feel a little ridiculous. I dropped Mokuba's hand, biting my lip and brushing some hair back from my face. He cleared his throat, and for the first time in a while, I was worried about what he might have to say. 

"After this is over, do you think we'll keep hanging out?" I looked down to find that he looked as serious as he sounded - like it was something important, instead of just some random friendship issue. "It's just that… I'd miss having you around. I don't hang out with a lot of kids my age." 

I smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of his head - what a perfect little brother he'd be, or even a big one. He probably wasn't a bad boyfriend either. I blushed, the heat racing straight up to my cheeks, and I shot upright. "Of course," I lilted, giving him a wide smile. "You don't just drop friends because of their brothers, right?" 

All I really wanted to say was that it was it damn shame I never met cute guys like him first. The ones who didn't look at me and lie, the ones who didn't goof off to get a rise out of each other, the ones who - 

"There you guys are!" Oniichan said, smiling as Mokuba and I approached where he and Seto were waiting. Oniichan was sitting on a bench, his arms stretched out over the back and his legs crossed at his ankles out in front of him. Seto was simply leaning against a tree, scowling a little. He looked more genuine then than I had imagined he'd been in weeks. Mokuba was the first to approach them - if approach was the right word. It was more like he nearly ran up to them, leaning down and catching Oniichan in a hug around the shoulders. I didn't quite catch how it went from that little hug to kissing; I'd turned long enough to say hello to Seto - he probably noticed the transition, though, because he barely replied. I turned back to see them kissing in public like it was nothing. 

Of course I was interested; it was the first time I'd seen two boys like that! If not for the sudden pit that formed in my stomach - and it weren't Oniichan - I might not have turned away so soon. And if I hadn't turned away, I wouldn't have had caught Seto smirking at me - it was almost feral, a little scary… and a little exciting; it definitely made my breath catch. "Quite the mess you have there." I followed his eyes to my hand, or more precisely, the ice cream that was beginning to melt down over my fingers. 

"Damn," I breathed, biting my lip. I hadn't even noticed. "I'll be right back; I've got to go clean - " 

"Allow me," Seto interrupted, taking my wrist. I accidentally dropped my cone in surprise, but it landed on the ground, forgotten as Seto guided my hand to his lips. My brain shut down completely as he took one of my fingers into his mouth, sucking away melted ice cream… and damn it, he was good at it. A pleasant tingle rushed up my arm and nearly made my knees give out as his tongue ran over the pad of my index finger, and I had to look away; it seemed almost obscene to watch him. I was vaguely aware of Oniichan standing and leaving, of Mokuba following him, but I didn't actually care for the small eternity that Seto's full attention seemed to be on my hand. 

I was surprised I was still upright when he finished. "I-I…" I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady. Damn it! Why couldn't he be like a normal lying boy and make my life easy? It was hard to remind myself that he was just trying to get a rise out of Oniichan when he was so ardent in making it appear otherwise. "People are watching," I finally managed somewhat lamely. It only served to make his smirk widen. 

"I know," he replied. He looked like he was going to lean in to kiss me, and I did the only thing I was sure I could do, if I intended to make it out of this fair without wanting to change my mind about the whole boyfriend situation; I turned my face away from him, feigning confusion. 

"Where did Oniichan and Mokuba go off to? I'm going to go look for them; you wait here, okay?" He sighed, but nodded - and that was enough for me to feel free enough to almost run to the nearest building - the civic center - and make a beeline for the bathroom. There were at least a dozen other women there, but the only one I gave a damn about was the one I was looking at in the mirror. The one I was fervently reminding that I really was dating a liar as I washed my hands. The one I was reminding that I needed to be less touchy with Mokuba. 

The one who didn't want to listen to a word I was trying to tell her. 

**-end ch.8-**

* * *

**notes**  
:nailbiting: That ice cream thing has been one of the few things to survive at this point in the story from the original concept, and I'm still nervous about it - it does look horribly OOC. xo My theory at this standing was that Kaiba has this weird habit for being really extravagent sometimes, like hanging out of a helicopter to announce a tournament, so I figure that's a trait that might bleed into winning over his girlfriend. 

Ahem. Justification ended. 

Anyway. Yeah, that's about all I have here. There's all sorts of rewrites for the last five chapters right now; the end went and changed on me, so I have to accomidate that, haha. Hope you enjoyed! 


	9. Chapter Nine

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**-  
Kaiba**

Hypothetically, I could pretend that I wasn't completely shaken by that little encounter with my girlfriend. I could pretend that was a completely normal thing to do in the middle of a crowd in front of my brother with a girl that I didn't know all that personally and who was completely enamored with me. I could tell myself that these were all simply steps in a plan that I was executing flawlessly. I was good with smart lies.

However I couldn't quite bring myself to believe any intelligent sounding lie as Mokuba came to sit on that bench with me, not when the first words out of his mouth were, "Seto, what does love feel like?" All I could see in my head was Jounouchi in some dark corner of the grounds, weaving pretty lies in order to fully seduce my brother. My mental mantra became 'don't panic'… and that was all I did for ten seconds; I didn't even breathe. Then I calmed down and gave him the best response I could muster.

I shrugged.

"Is it…" Mokuba paused, tapping his fingers against the bench, and continued, "Is it like when you'd do anything to get someone's attention? You'd even make them mad, just so they'd be sure to notice you?"

"I don't think so," I replied, making a pretty good show of sounding like I knew any more than he did. "It sounds too broad – people piss each other off daily, and most of them don't seem to be in love."

"Well, is it like when you get goose bumps all over?" he tried. "And when you're blushing and embarrassed because you feel transparent?"

"It doesn't really matter," I said derisively, standing – it was the only way I could think to end the conversation without seeming defensive. "You're thirteen, and dating a moron; why worry about it?"

He sighed and yanked me back down by my shirt, looking me directly in the eye. I hated when he did that; he had been much easier to rationalize with when he was five and half of his arguments involved kicking and screaming. He'd finally learned the art of sitting and being patient; I had made the somewhat fatal mistake of teaching him that a little too well for my own good. "I'm just considering the possibility."

"With Jounouchi, I don't think it's something you need to be concerned with. Just because he might be a smooth talker but doesn't mean he's love potential." Not that I'd know anything about that. "The second he knows whether or not you'll let him have his way, he'll – "

"Not care," Mokuba completed, his tone firm. "Seto, you act like he's some rapist, but if you ever did anything except fight with him, you might notice that he's not all that bad. I bet if you two could talk for ten minutes without insults, you'd see that he's funny, nice, and about as good as anyone you could hope for me to like."

Obviously Mokuba didn't know how high my hopes were for people he'd like. "He's an imbecile, and a pervert."

Mokuba scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "He's sweet, and a great kisser."

"And he's using that to his advantage."

"That's not all," Mokuba challenged – that was obvious. He was pushing my buttons, and he was enjoying it. "He's got great hands, and knows just how to – "

"Enough." I held up my hand and turned away from him, looking for the nearest activity to distract myself with… but nothing quite detracted from the mental image. I could see it all too clearly: my brother naively going with Jounouchi – the blond's wandering hands, what he might have whispered to make Mokuba so at ease… Instinctively my fist clenched.

"Okay, fine. Lets go play a game or something," Mokuba said, jumping up and looking at me with the most pathetically pleading eyes I had seen in a long time. Obviously he still remembered how he won arguments when he was five as well. "No more questions," he tacked on – adding incentive to the deal. I knew him better than to believe it, but regardless I nodded and stood, pointing across the street from where we were sitting. An arcade. Maybe it wasn't part of the fair, but a good distraction nonetheless, and Mokuba didn't argue.

We made it all the way across the street and into a racing game before Mokuba said anything at all. And of course, it had to be the only question I REALLY didn't want to hear – or answer: "So, how're things going with Shizuka?"

"Good," I replied absently, focusing on the buildings whizzing by on the screen. Good, if I took into account that I didn't know what to do with her, and that I didn't think it was going to last much longer, and –

"Have you… y'know, done anything she couldn't tell her brother about?" he prodded mischievously, holding his steering wheel in one hand and jabbing me gently with his free elbow. The game came with sound effects, and all that came out of the speakers flanking my head was a loud screech as my car veered abruptly off course; I guess I should've been thankful that we weren't in a real car.

"No."

He laughed like it was nothing. "Me neither. Well, nothing I couldn't tell you about, anyway. Like that night when you had dinner with Shizuka's family, the butler caught Jou and I making out on the couch in the game room; we had to stop, and ended up playing video games until he left. And once, I was at Jou's house watching movies. He doesn't ever fold his bed in, you know, so I ended up – " I jerked my steering wheel, getting my game car back on course and making another loud screech. Mokuba noticed that time, glancing over at me and sighing comically. "You have no room to complain, you know; I know what you've done on the living room couch," he replied, sticking his tongue out. I frowned; I couldn't argue with that. Instead, I settled into pretending that there were pedestrians to run over on in the game – there was no better way to stay on the road than to pretend that there'd be a chance I could hit Jounouchi as he was crossing the street.

I won our race.

"As usual," Mokuba laughed, stretching his arms out. "At least having a girlfriend hasn't distracted you from the things that really matter. We should really get back and find Jounouchi and Shizuka though; last time I saw them, they were arguing about something."

That got my attention; I had never seen them argue – in fact, Shizuka barely complained about her brother at all. I tried to seem disinterested as we left the arcade, but I didn't come off as flippant as I'd hoped. "Why?"

"I don't know," Mokuba shrugged. "I didn't listen in, and I wanted to talk to you anyway. Don't worry, though; she didn't sound so angry that you won't be able to get any later." He turned and walked backwards, winking at me. I opened my mouth to protest, then thought better of it; supposedly, that was good news. "They were at the Civic Center. Race ya!" With that he turned around and took off.

**-  
Mokuba**

The more I thought about it, the surer I was that to an outsider, our whole plight was probably pretty funny. Despite that, to me it was a little sad, a little frustrating, but a lot confusing. Most confusing of it all was Shizuka, or rather that Niisama took things so far with her, and… The more time I spent with her, the harder it was NOT to look at her and wonder why Niisama would waste the opportunity to have a serious relationship with her, which led to me being confused on why I felt like it was such a shame.

If I were Shizuka, I'd feel a lot worse than she let on. Maybe she wanted to talk about it; maybe she was another one of those people who kept things to herself unless she was forced to say something. I nodded to myself, looking around the crowded room for her. Niisama was probably still far behind me, and I had seen Jounouchi just outside the building, debating with some vendor. Shizuka had to be around there somewhere…

I saw her in the corner, by two long tables that had little potted trees on them. I ran over to join her, standing silently beside her for a minute and examining what had her so absorbed. It wasn't extraordinary; the trees were decorated, and in front of them there were note cards that said where they were from, what they were, and how old they were.

"Pretty, aren't they?" she asked, smiling at me. With a look on her face like that, I couldn't say that I wanted to know if she was really hurt by Niisama – that didn't seem very sensitive. I resisted sighing and nodded.

"I thought…" _You might like to confide in me._ "…we could discuss next weekend – it was at the pool right?" I shifted from foot to foot, twisted around and looked at other things in the building – people, decorations, booths… I couldn't stay still.

"Yeah," she said, grabbing hold of my shoulders and looking at me dead on. I thought she was going to say something serious, maybe scold me, but she was giggling softly. "Stop moving – you're making me dizzy."

"Sorry." I did a mental inventory of all the things I knew we had in common, tapping my foot on the floor. We had big brothers, and we liked ice cream – but not the same flavors. We… We… "Nice outfit," I said sporadically, reaching for a topic – and realized a second too late that it was the wrong one. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt that showed her off quite nicely; it made for another awkward moment where I had to make an effort not to stare at her chest.

_Mokuba, you're a moron._

She laughed. "Well, I guess so; Mama's not too fond of the shorts."

"I don't know, I think they look good on you."

_Stop it._

"Thanks. Mama just doesn't think it's appropriate." I wasn't sure if the pause was because she felt just as weird as I did, or if it was because she didn't really know what to say either. "I… uh… I've been thinking I might cut my hair, since it's been warm; it's a pain to deal with it during the summer, and it'd be nice to get rid of it for a while."

I shook my head. "I like your hair the way it is."

_You're flirting._

"R-really?" She laughed softly, even nervously if I had to guess. I went back to exploring the room with my eyes… only now I was looking for Niisama, or Jou, or any escape route that would get me out of the conversation I had trapped myself in. What was I supposed to say? I'd already nearly choked on my foot, and I couldn't think of too much we had in common. Maybe I just should have gone for the kill to start with… "Are you upset about breaking up with Niisama?" I feigned a yawn just so I could keep my eyes closed, even though I knew it wouldn't help me from hearing her answer.

"Kind of; I was really excited when I first started dating him, you know?" she said softly. She didn't sound angry. "He can be so sweet, that sometimes… Well, sometimes it's hard to remember that he's not really interested in me. Plus, he's like a walking example of everything most girls look for – tall, dark, handsome…" She paused, focused behind me; I turned to see that Jou was approaching us. There was that escape I had been looking for. After a second she looked back at me. "Don't worry about me, okay? You've done enough of that already, and I appreciate it." To my surprise, she did it again – kissed my forehead, like that was okay or something. It really should have bothered me.

Of course, I didn't register that – she was gone too quickly after that, and I was still back in the beginning of the conversation. It all sounded like cheesy flirting. No, it WAS cheesy flirting. I had been flirting with Shizuka. It's a good thing she wasn't Jou's little brother, or I just might have left him for her. After all, she was closer in age, and just as nice as her brother, and…

And it wouldn't be at all right; Niisama had always taught me that I should be realistic, and rationalizing a romance with Shizuka was anything but. Besides, she just told me what personified what girls liked: tall, dark, handsome… I most certainly didn't fit quite right into that category. And it wouldn't be fair to Jou to start dating his sister. I simply wouldn't consider what it would be like to date Shizuka.

I wouldn't.

I sighed.

I really wouldn't.

I just really, really wanted to.

**-end ch. 9-**

* * *

**notes**  
How many chapters have I forgotten to thank elsahlir for beta'ing for? TT Bad author. No cookie for me. Thank you, elsalhir:heart: 

Dear reader:  
It is possible I have lured you here under false pretenses. Well, false isn't quite right, because at the time, they were true. How many of you here came here from the two seconds I decided to display the KaiJou & Mokuba/Shizuka flop in the summary? No, be honest, raise your hands high now. Good, good. Well, you see, starting the story, that was the plan. I regret to inform you that all the rapid rewriting of the end of this story has been in fixing it, because... it didn't work. It was nice and all, but it didn't work.

So very sorry. I hope you've enjoyed the story regardless, and will continue to do so. :)

Love, Ashes

/goofiness.

Ahem, all attempts at humor aside, yeah. That's true. nod Anyway, this chapter has a nice little section of un-beta'ed goodness, so during that racing scene, the typos and grammatical errors are all me, baby. I hope I caught most of them, though.

It occured to me just now that the end of this chapter and the end of the last chapter are really, really similar. This was not intended. I think I like it, though. It feels interesting.


	10. Chapter Ten

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Ten  
----  
Mokuba**

"Mokuba, can you do me a favor?" I stopped in front of Niisama's den door, apple clenched between my teeth. He didn't even look up to confirm I was there before continuing, "Shizuka is coming over tonight, and I can't go get her – I need to finish this. Could you go with the driver to pick her up?"

"She doesn't want to be alone with our driver."

I nodded, taking a bite out of my apple before answering, "Sure. Right now?"

"The car should be waiting downstairs."

Despite my waiting ride, I ran up to my room to put on a nicer shirt, and I was bouncing down the front steps. The driver gave me the oddest look, but he didn't say anything; he just did his job and drove the car. I couldn't help it; I was excited. Tomorrow was… everything. Tomorrow was the day Shizuka and I told our boyfriends to go to hell while hoping our brothers understood. The more I thought about it, the more it made my stomach turn. I knew my brother. I knew that whether he understood or not, he wouldn't be angry with me – he'd be guilty that I had found out at all. And Jounouchi… I couldn't define him as a brother – I could barely define him as a boyfriend when I should've been able too. I didn't know how he'd treat Shizuka (or me) after all was said and done. I –

I hadn't realized the car had stopped until the door opened – and I wasn't at all prepared for what I saw. Shizuka was standing there, look of surprise on her face; I'm sure mine matched. My mouth went dry, and I damn near dropped my apple; it was pretty impressive, considering I was in the middle of taking a bite. "Jou would have a heart attack if he saw you wearing that," I said, looking her over to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. Her skirt was unremarkable, but that shirt clung to her, bringing out a shape that I hadn't quite realized she had, even when I first started noticing her chest, including a collar that dipped too low for my comfort. She nodded wordlessly to my comment, getting in the car and sitting beside me, pulling the door shut. Just before the open door light went off, I noticed she was blushing.

"So… You look great," I said, finally taking that bite out of my apple.

"Thanks," she muttered. I heard her take a deep breath before she continued, "I thought the whole thing should go out with something of a bang."

She was going a damn good job, if that was her plan. "Yeah." We rode in silence, and I glanced over at her every now and then. There were dim little lights on the doors, so I could just barely make out her shape. She had her hands clasped in her lap and her legs crossed, bouncing her foot idly. I swallowed, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. "Are you going to… uh…"

She looked over at me, and her hands seemed to tighten. "What?"

I was going to ask her if she was planning on thoroughly seducing Niisama, but on second thought, it didn't seem right. "Nothing." Silence again, and I stared out the window for the remainder of the ride. Tomorrow. Tomorrow things would be different.

"We're here," the driver announced; Shizuka moved to get the door, but I practically dove for it – it was the gentlemanly thing to do, after all, and I was feeling like being something of a gentleman right then.

"Allow me," I offered as something of an explanation, facing her only to see her looking at me with wide eyes. I blinked… twice… then finally realized what had happened. I had leaned over her, braced myself – and happened to be holding myself up with one hand right on her thigh. Our eyes were locked, like we were both waiting for the other to say something – but now that I noticed, heat seemed to come off her in waves. We were too close, overwhelmingly close, and my breath caught in my throat…

"Sir?"

"Oh!" I popped open the door, scurrying over her lap and jumping out of the car. As I ran up the stairs to the house, I called over my shoulder, "He's in his den. Good luck!"

**----  
Kaiba**

It didn't take me long to notice that Shizuka was standing in my doorway. She looked the same as always – the smile that made her seem so naive, with the slight of her head… The only thing different about her was the way her arms were crossed in front of her stomach, like she was uncomfortable. Then again, if I had that much of my chest exposed, I'd be uncomfortable too. "Hi," I said, looking away deliberately. No one would really blame me if I wanted to look; I was a male, and could see pretty easily down her shirt. "Why don't you go figure out what you want to watch while I finish up?"

"Okay," she said, winking as she left. She smiled like her brother when she was being cocky – and somehow, I'd come to differentiate between her cocky smiles and her coy ones. It was all in her eyes; when she was being shy she looked away a lot, but when she was confident she held my gaze dead on. Noticing little things like that about her… unnerved me.

I took a bit to get to the living room; when I arrived she was sitting on the couch, her legs tucked under her and the remote control resting on her thigh. She turned to look at me, smiling wide. "There you are," she said.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," I said, taking a seat beside her. I didn't bother making a move; I already knew she was going to do that, so I just set one arm up behind her on the couch, leaving the invitation open… and it didn't take her long to take it; we were fifteen minutes into the movie when she turned to me, sitting up a little bit more on her knees and leaning in to kiss me. At least with her eyes closed, she didn't catch the quick second of uncertainty that I'm sure slipped past my guise. My hand moved to the back of her neck, which was some invitation in itself; she crawled right into my lap, her head tilting just a bit, such a perfect slant to invite me in… and like a good – or maybe bad – boyfriend, I took the opportunity.

Somehow I found myself wondering, just for a moment, if she would stop me if I were to push for more. She shifted into me so perfectly, and her movements were soft, teasingly compliant… She backed away for a second, breathing heavy… and for the first time, I wasn't so sure I was faking it as I leaned in to kiss her, tongue pushing past her lips, tasting and claiming the cavern of her mouth as my hands moved up her legs, starting just behind her knees and moving up to her thighs…

She caught me by the wrists, stalling my movements as she backed away again; I looked at her and remembered all of a sudden – she was a little sister, not something to claim, and I was a fraud. I had no right to her. Her eyes were wide, and she was breathing heavy, and I felt even worse as she opened her mouth, uttering a small, "I'm sorry, I – " She looked scared, almost guilty, and I shook my head, stopping the explanation as I moved my hand to frame her face; she leaned into my touch.

She looked surprised as I said the only completely honest thing she'd ever hear from me: "You don't owe me anything."

**----  
Shizuka**

It was the last thing I had expected; I thought maybe he would be angry that I had led him on… Instead, he was sweet. I swallowed, nodding. "Okay," I said softly. "I… need to go use the bathroom." In turn he nodded; I kissed his cheek and tried not to rush off to the bathroom. On my way there I passed Mokuba; he was just leaving, dressed in different clothes than earlier and towelling his hair. "Took a shower?" I asked as he passed. He stopped dead in his tracks, and he looked back at me like I'd accused him of a crime. I hadn't realized it was such a personal question.

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "So, uh, taking a breather from Niisama?"

I nodded, leaning against the wall. 'Taking a breather' was a pretty accurate way to put it. He sat by my feet, and I slid down to sit beside him, making a conscious effort to keep my skirt decent. "I need one – my god, he'd never kissed me like that."

"You are dressed really… um…" Mokuba coughed weakly and cringed, "differently. Maybe he was just excited." I laughed, shoving him just a little.

"Pervert," I laughed. "I don't know, he's… You've got a great brother. Under different circumstances he probably wouldn't be a bad boyfriend." Mokuba didn't reply, but that was okay; I don't think I really wanted him to say anything. I just wanted to talk about it, wanted to remind myself that the circumstances WERE wrong – that we were dating for all the wrong reasons. It was a lot of work to remind myself that I'd rather give up a pretty lie than live it. I leaned over a little, leaning my head against Mokuba's. He smelled faintly of vanilla – it was a nice scent, and for a second, I just breathed.

"Are you sad?" he asked. I felt his deep breath more than heard it, and he continued, "Because we can probably call it all off, if you'd rather… well, try to work things out with Seto."

I started, sitting up straight. "I…" He was looking at me just like his brother had – so seriously, like my feelings mattered. It was a lot different from the boys I was used to – as a whole, the boys I knew seemed to be more interested in what they could get away with. "No. It's complicated, but…" I grinned. "Boys like our brothers don't learn lessons easy."

He nodded, laughing. "Right." He jumped up so quickly that I'd have thought something was wrong; then he yawned, stretching up so high he was on his tip-toes. "Well, I'm beat – I'll see you at the pool tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

He was off in a flash, and I stood, looking in the direction of the living room. I had to go back; it wasn't as though I couldn't just watch the movie. But Seto wasn't in the living room when I returned; the movie was playing to an empty room. I wasn't complaining, though; it gave me some more time to sort things out. Looking back on it, Oniichan had been right; Seto was nothing but trouble, but not in the same sense – he bothered my thoughts more than anything else.

So did Mokuba.

I wasn't sure how long I sat there, still trying to get my bearings, but it was at least a little while when Seto sat down beside me, clearing his throat. "Sorry; I had some business to attend to."

"It's not problem," I said, leaning my head against his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, and… well, I didn't want to live a pretty lie, but it would be nice to pretend a little bit longer.

**----  
Jounouchi**

"Shizuka!" I protested as Shizuka took off her jeans and t-shirt, revealing her swimsuit. Immediately I wrapped a towel around her barely-covered body. What did she think she was wearing? "Did Ma see you wearing that?"

"Yes," she said exasperatedly, trying to push my towel off; I wouldn't budge, keeping my arms firmly around her shoulders and keeping that blue little bikini where it belonged – not seen on my sister. "Katsuya, enough! I can't go swimming in a towel."

"Then… Then go home and get a different suit!"

She rolled her eyes and shoved me away; sadly, the towel went with me. "Get over it, Oniichan; I'm a big girl now, remember?"

"Yeah – the whole of the pool can see that!" I pouted as she jumped into the water. It was no use – she wasn't going to listen to me. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked over my shoulder at Kaiba. As expected, that dickhead was smirking.

"Yeah, I'll punch both your eyes shut if I catch you peeking," I muttered, looking back towards the pool. I didn't get him; he was wearing slacks and a t-shirt, and while it was the most relaxed I had ever seen him, it was hardly appropriate, considering the setting. While dozens of people around him were screaming, playing, laughing, and splashing, he was reading a book.

"Plug your nose!"

The words didn't register entirely until I was shoved over the edge of the pool. Immediately after being pulled under, I sort of lost focus – like being lost, only worse, because I couldn't breathe either. I thought I'd drown for about two seconds, then I remembered that I was only in five feet of water. Drowning there would be embarrassing.

"Don't do that!" I sputtered as I broke the surface of the water and clung to the side of the pool. Mokuba slid off the edge into the water and hung on my back, laughing – I guess he had been the one to push me in. "It's not funny," I said indignantly, holding his arms in place around my shoulders. It was hard not to laugh; Mokuba had an infectious laugh.

"Oh, believe me, it was," he replied, kissing my cheek and slipping off my back. I climbed out of the pool, and went back to my seat… next to Kaiba.

Yippee.

I knew it was stupid, but I had to reason with him; I had to stay calm, civil, and logical. I wasn't so sure I'd be able to pull it off, but it was worth the effort. I couldn't handle covering a relationship with Mokuba like I was anymore – I hated watching my hands, guarding my words. Stuff like that with him was becoming more of a hassle than a pleasure, and because of Shizuka's wise-ass comments at the park the previous weekend, I was forced to evaluate exactly WHY I was dating him to start with. Impulses never look good in hindsight.

"You complicate everything," I commented, standing instead of sitting. It was easier to talk to him if I got to look down at him while I was doing it. He didn't spare even a glance to me, eyes glued to his book.

"Do I?" he responded evenly.

"Yeah, you do. Look, there's got to be something we can do." I looked out to the pool again, watching Mokuba and Shizuka playing, perfectly content without me or Kaiba there. Maybe Shizuka wouldn't be devastated if Kaiba broke up with her – maybe if I just did it the right way –

"Stop wasting your breath now and save us both a headache," Kaiba said, flipping his page without looking up.

Fuck civility – if Kaiba was going to be a prick, then I was at least going to give him something to be pissed about. I was tired of dealing with his shit, of him accusing me of being something I wasn't – if he was going to hate me for something, it could at least be something I had done! "I don't get you," I replied acidly.

"Unfortunately for you, I don't think I know small enough words to explain myself."

My knuckles cracked, and I retorted, "Fine then – I'll play your game for once; be the bad boy, break the kid and then his head. I bet that'd make you fucking ecstatic."

_Thwap!_ Right in the jaw – I didn't even see him get up. Then again, I did get him to look up from his damn book, and I had his attention; he had me by the hair, and if he didn't let go soon, I was going to kick his ass. He leaned closer, hissing, "If you so much as suggest something like that ever again…" He left the threat to my imagination.

Just then Mokuba clambered out of the pool, shouting, "Niisama, what the hell are you two doing?" Kaiba let me go and we both looked at him as he came between us, his back to me. Kaiba looked scandalized, and opened his mouth to say something, but Mokuba was already scolding him for fighting in public – sounded like a speech he'd probably learned straight from Kaiba, all about image and social shit I didn't give a damn about... Even better than that, Kaiba was listening obediently. Instead of listening to him, I looked right over his head and met Kaiba's eye. I mouthed 'whipped', mocking a whip-crack motion with my hand. It was worth it to see him turn even redder. Now I just had to hope that I would live to tell the tale.

"He insulted my honor," Kaiba interjected, and I cringed; I'd hoped he'd feel guilty enough to leave that out. Then again, I guess I'd been wrong to think Kaiba felt guilt. Mokuba stopped mid-word; the grey eyes that turned on me were burning.

Looking frantically from one to the other, I did what any guy who made a less-than-honest mistake would do – I tried to save my ass: "No, I –"

"Jounouchi Katsuya!" he shouted – much louder than he had been with Kaiba – and went off on another tirade; after three sentences, I wasn't even sure what he was talking about anymore; it just sounded like all his frustration was coming out at once, and it surprised the hell out of me. It didn't bug me that he was yelling at me – I guess I deserved it, making that comment; I'd certainly do no less if Kaiba had said something like it – and it didn't even bug me that people were starting to look at us. No, what bugged me was Kaiba, standing behind Mokuba, smirking and mouthing 'whipped' just like I had.

I really, really hated him.

"Mokuba, calm down!" Shizuka interrupted, pulling Mokuba out from between Kaiba and me and moving him to some chairs next to the ones Kaiba and I had just been arguing by. I caught the murmur of their voices, but not enough words to know what was being said. I just watched, waiting to see what would happen – maybe she had some way of calming him down.

"They're like kids," I heard Mokuba snap, and Shizuka put a hand on his shoulder, leaning in a little and saying something with a smile. He was quiet, and I guessed that was the all clear – that I could go talk to him and convince him not to be mad at me.

Then he lunged forward and kissed her. Not some friendly little peck on the cheek, or 'oops, I accidentally leaned forward too far' kiss, but a kiss with intent and want – and I didn't like it one bit. It only lasted a second before she pulled away. I was standing there next to Kaiba; he didn't look as angry as I felt, but I think we were both waiting for what she would say, what she would do. I was waiting for her to right a very odd and potentially ugly situation. I don't care how bad things were, kissing my sister… that just wasn't right. And Shizuka knew that – I was counting on her logic right then.

Instead, she kissed him.

**-end ch. 10-**

* * *

**notes**  
Thank you to elsalhir for being s00per cool beta! Best. Boss. Ever. heart! 

This story has been the victim of my real life since it began -- so I apologize for taking so long to update again. Just when you think things calm down, they don't, eh? But I swear, the only thing that's going to stop it now is my untimely death, so don't worry; it won't go unfinished. smile In response to the reviewers who asked if I'd reconsider changing the end-pairings of the story, I'm sorry, but really, it is how it is, and it'd take something of an act of God to change it now.

Anyway, I loved that this chapter had all four POVs. Even if Jounouchi's didn't quite fit in with the rest, I decided it belonged in this chapter instead of the next one; I liked that ending line instead of handling all the aftermath in the same chapter. ;


	11. Chapter Eleven

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven  
---  
Kaiba**

In a perfectly normal world, watching my brother and my girlfriend kissing at the poolside would have made me more livid than relieved. I had no notions about a normal world – but guessing by the look on Jounouchi's face, he might have. He turned away from them to fix his anger onto me; I thought maybe he was going to shout about how it was my fault, which I could handle. I even had a counter-argument about how it was really his fault for being useless. 

In retrospect, I should have seen it coming; I had hit him first, and considering the moment, violence was the closest thing to a decent argument he probably had. Still, that didn't make it any less surprising when my ass connected with damp pavement. I managed to dodge the next blow, took the next in order to catch him off guard, force him onto his back – if he wanted to start a fight – 

It turned out to be the first fight where I got pulled off my opponent – by a lifeguard nonetheless. Jounouchi scrambled to his feet and settled a scathing glare on me; not even when I insulted his dueling prowess had he given me looks like that. He took a step towards me, and I tensed, ready to wrench my way away from the lifeguard and – 

"Oniichan, that's enough!" Shizuka stepped in front of him, grabbing him by the hand. "We're going. Now." She dragged him out and with some hesitation, Jounouchi followed, eyes narrowing at me one last time before he was out of sight. He didn't say sorry, that he hated me, not even goodbye to Mokuba – and that was when I realized things had reached the peak of awkward; on one side, Mokuba was staring at me, then staring after Jounouchi and Shizuka, probably reeling from that little kiss, and there I was, shoving off a lifeguard. People were staring, whispering to each other; even the lifeguard went off and started talking to someone else. Then again, I want to say it was the first time I'd gotten into an actual fight in public. And I hadn't even been able to put Jounouchi in his place. 

"Niisama, I think we should talk," Mokuba sighed, catching my attention; I looked over at him, Jounouchi forgotten as I looked at his posture. He looked nervous, as he set to the task of slowly getting his things together; I joined in, not sure what to say. Mokuba wasn't talking, and I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. We made it as far as the car, then the tension finally seemed to break; Mokuba leaned against the passenger side door, looked down at the cement with the heaviest sigh I'd ever heard. I joined him, waiting for him to speak; he didn't keep me waiting. "So this was one royal fuck-up." 

"Watch your language," I scolded half-heartedly. For one of the first times I could remember, being right didn't seem to be worth it. 

"It was. We weren't… We were going to dump you guys, but I didn't plan to do THAT. We just…" He sighed again; I was quickly growing to hate the noise, and the knowledge that I was at least partially responsible for it. "She's so sweet, Niisama. I like spending time with her, and while she was sitting there, she was so pretty… I couldn't help myself." 

He sounded guilty, but I didn't quite relate; as far as I could tell, he didn't have too much to worry about. "I didn't see her protesting." 

"That's not the point. It's more… I really like her. It doesn't seem right to have done that NOW, when she's still dealing with you… Why couldn't you have liked her, Niisama?" 

Of all things I expected him to ask me, that was the last. My brother was pouring his heart about to me, telling me about how he liked a girl, and all he had to ask me was why I wasn't the one that liked her instead? I shook my head; there wasn't an answer I could give him, nothing that would satisfy him. 

"She cried, you know; that's how this whole thing started. I was so mad that I had to do something. You…" He sighed again. "I wish you hadn't done this. I wish Jou hadn't played along. I should have handled it better. I…" 

"Don't blame yourself." I put an arm around his shoulders awkwardly; he'd never really needed physical reassurance, but he sounded so dejected… it was worth trying. He didn't push me away. "You can't make everything work just by wishing. Just work with what you've got." 

"And what do I have?" 

"Well, apparently you have a girl who didn't seem to object to you kissing her. You've got…" I suppressed a growl by sheer will alone. "…a boyfriend – " 

Mokuba wasn't so eloquent in hiding his anger – he DID growl. "Ex-boyfriend." 

"– Ex-boyfriend to deal with." There was no denying it; that made me smile. Maybe the ends didn't justify the means per se, but Mokuba had just clearly indicated that I'd succeeded at my initial task – bad as things had turned out, it was enough to make me feel a little more justified. Unfortunately, Jounouchi was in _my_ hair now, thanks to the publicity of our disagreement. That would be taken care of with much less subtlety. 

"So…" Mokuba nodded. "Does that mean… You know, about Shizuka…?" 

"Go for it." 

"Just checking. And how do you suppose I approach her? It's not like we ever formally discussed the possibility of being… uh… together." 

It was nice to see him blushing and knowing that it wasn't over someone I hated. It was just over someone who had every right to hate me. "She likes you," I told him, taking my arm back. "What more do you need to approach her?" I held back the urge to tell him that he hadn't needed much more to go with Jounouchi. Instead, I got in the car; Mokuba followed, seemingly appeased – or at least content – with what I had to tell him. That left me two people to deal with; Shizuka, and Jounouchi. Shizuka would be simple enough; I would take whatever she had to say, and… I'd apologize. 

**---  
Shizuka**

I was ignoring Oniichan's ranting, instead staring out into the road and wishing the bus would hurry up from wherever it was. I had bigger problems than what was bothering Oniichan, especially since he was technically one of my problems – because his boyfriend was a problem. "So stupid," I sighed, leaning back against the bus stop pole. 

"That's right," Oniichan seethed. "He's – " 

"Shut up already!" I turned away from him and bit my lip, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm sorry your feelings are hurt, but I have other things to about right now." 

For the first time since we'd left the pool, there was silence… for maybe three whole seconds. "While you're at it, maybe you'd clue me in to when you and Mokuba started kissing on a regular basis." He didn't sound angry, but he sure as hell didn't sound happy – like he was choosing his words, probably because it was me. It didn't make me feel better; just because Oniichan was holding back didn't make it all better. 

"Never, if you have to know," I snapped. "It just happened – and it's not like you didn't deserve it anyway." 

"Deserve…! What did I do to – " 

"What do you think you did?" I shouted, twirling around to look at him; he stepped back a bit, blinking like it was the first time he'd heard a girl scream. "Don't play dumb, and don't act like you didn't do anything – I know all about the deal you had with Seto!" 

That shut him up; he gaped at me for a full minute, then took a stepped forward, paused… "Shizuka, I – " 

"You're horrible, just like him," I filled him in, looking away again. Yelling wasn't helping me feel alright, it made me feel worse, but keeping it to myself wasn't working either… "You cared more about yourself, at the expense of someone else – you deserved to have the feeling returned." 

"Don't say it like I wasn't thinking of you at all," he almost pleaded, almost growled. "You think I wanted you to get hurt? The hell I did!" 

"Did a great job of showing that," I grumbled. 

"You were happy with him! I didn't want him to break your heart… Maybe you're right, but it's not like I was just throwin' you to the big bad wolf and not worrying about you. It was fucking hard, okay? I hated it every bit as much." 

"I…" It was hard to angry at Oniichan when he talked like that. He'd always looked out for me; even against appearances, I couldn't believe that he was just giving me up, not when I had so many more good memories of him, better than this. "You told me to be wary of boys when I moved to Domino. 'They're beasts,' you said." 

"I remember." 

"And I kept it in mind; I never forgot. It just never occurred to me that you were one of the boys I had to be careful of too." Turning, I saw him looking so resigned, maybe finally realizing why he had made me angry to start with. 

"Of course," he said finally. "Voice of experience." 

I was supposed to stay mad, and hate him for a long time, and make him regret ever treating me like I couldn't handle myself… but I couldn't do it, I really couldn't; I heard his loud "oomph!" as I hugged him, squeezing him tight and trying not to cry against his shoulder; it didn't work. It didn't stop my voice from shaking. "I'm so angry at you, Oniichan. I'm sorry." 

"Don't be sorry," he said, sounding more like himself as he patted by back. "C'mon now, don't be like that. Didn't Ma ever tell you that you add years to your face when you cry? You've got to stay young and pretty if you're going to keep a certain someone interested." 

"Oh!" I sniffled, shaking my head and trying to wipe my tears with the back of my hand without letting go. "Oniichan, I – " 

"Ah, don't fight it," he said sheepishly. "Trust me when I tell you that you won't get away with just kissing him and running. Besides, who would want to?" There was a high squeal behind us, and I turned to see the bus had stopped. "Let's go home; we can get some lunch, and deal with the rest of this ugly business later, okay?" 

I nodded, starting to feel a little better – finally. 

**-end ch. 11-**

* * *

**notes**  
Okay, okay, so the goal for finishing this is July. Sometime in July. So god willing, even if it means the last chapter is posted on July 31st at 11:59 PM, I want it done in July. :insert much fist shaking here: And it's not even that there's much writing left to do; I've managed to get most of it out of the way. It's just make sure it's presentable and such. And having the energy to do it. 

I know, I know; this story has been taking way too long. 

Anyway, so this chapter makes me nervous, because the fight feels so stupidly cliché, and an angry!Shizuka isn't something very typical, so… Yeah. Is this when I defend myself with, "My beta liked it!" XD On that note, many thanks to elsalhir for taking time out of her schedule to handle this story. d So ph33rless, our beloved leader. 

However, I was rather fond of Jou during Shizuka's POV. 

And Nenya: to say that it absolutely made my night that you caught the shower thing would be a complete understatement. XD however, I was going for the opposite end of the spectrum from a cold shower, lol.) 


	12. Chapter Twelve

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter 12  
---  
****Jounouchi**

Some things just have to be reconciled with and put away. The fact that Mokuba probably wouldn't speak to me ever again was just one of those things. Actually, I was lucky that anyone was talking to me – Shizuka mostly. True, she was pissed, but I couldn't blame her. In her shoes, I would've been ticked off too. At least the shouting hadn't lasted; talk about twisting the knife in my back, to hear my baby sister so mad at me… I had to put on a nice face for her; there was no reason to be mad at her. I couldn't make myself do it. I sighed and swished my pan around, watching vegetables sizzle as they skidded across the skillet.

"Hey, Jounouchi," the guy up front called back, "that kid is here for you!"

I raised my eyebrow and leaned back enough to look past the front counter. Sure enough, there was Mokuba, arms crossed over his chest, scowling like he didn't want to be there. His school bag was hoisted over his shoulder – odd considering they were supposed to be on break. Knowing my luck, the drama had convinced him to deal with enemies the old-fashioned way; sneaking poison into their food. I wouldn't put it past him to carry his whole stash into a store, if he was mad enough. "Hey, can you take over here?" I asked my coworker; she nodded, taking the frying pan from my hands and shooing me off. I went out front, striding straight to a table in the corner; I wasn't going to leave allowance for a big scene right at the cash register. Mokuba followed, sitting across from me.

"Need something?" I couldn't help being short; I liked the kid, but he kissed my sister – and damn it, I had to be mad at someone for that!

At least he wasn't pulling the punches either, starting straight in with, "Why are you so stupid? Just because you were pissed at me didn't mean you had to mess with Niisama."

"Is that was this is about?" I asked, leaning down onto the table. "Forget about it; it wasn't a big deal. Guys fight all the time – "

"Not guys like Niisama!" He swung his bag up on the table, taking out a newspaper and shoving it towards me, making me sit up so I could look at it. There was an article circled – something about the fight, about Kaiba and impulse control… "See what this has done?"

"So? The guy got into a fight, and now people don't think he's perfect – it's not like it matters."

Mokuba looked like he was going to bust a vein as he held his voice in check, low and creepily slow. "Part of Niisama's job is putting on a good face to associate to Kaiba Corp, and this is bad. He's actually getting scolded at work for this. Even if it's small to someone like you, it's a big deal in business."

I leaned down on the paper, purposefully not looking at it – hell, I kind of did it just to see Mokuba turn that much redder. "It's not like I pity him – if you remember, he hit me first."

"You provoked him! How would you like to be in his position?"

"About as much as I'd like seeing my boyfriend kissing my sister," I retorted, glaring at him from the pillow of my arms. I'd been waiting for that, I really had; all I wanted was the opening to let him know exactly how I felt about that. If I got the chance, he wouldn't hear the end of it.

"Don't drag that into this – that's not even on the same level. What you did was – "

"You're not going to make me pity him," I said, sitting up straight. "You can sit here and try all afternoon, but this is the guy who took my baby sister and tried to use her against me – "

"Which he obviously didn't do a very good job of."

I glared and continued, " – a girl you seem to give a damn about, and you expect me to feel bad because he looks a little bad? News flash, kid – he is bad."

Mokuba looked down, his hands falling to his lap; after a second he said through gritted teeth: "All I want you to do is apologize." I could see his shoulders shaking, and guessed that he had some pretty tight fists under the table. "That's all."

"Well, I'm not. He's more likely to suck my dick than I am to apologize."

Mokuba stood from his chair so quickly that he nearly knocked it over. "Go to hell, Jounouchi. You can be just as stubborn as you want, but Niisama doesn't let things like this sit – you're going to have to face it eventually, whether you want to or not. And he's already pissed off; I wouldn't want to be in your shoes if he has to come to you."

He left after that – good thing the front door couldn't slam, or I bet he would've shaken the walls. I stormed back into the kitchen. Getting mixed up with the Kaiba family was bad news; if I didn't know she'd just get mad at me again, I'd consider telling Shizuka to keep herself away from it. For me… the best I could do was hope that I was killed in some freak accident in the kitchen, because I knew one thing for sure: Mokuba was right. Kaiba's reputation wasn't something to be messed with, and I wasn't going to get his praise for making him look bad.

**---  
Mokuba**

We had to talk. It wasn't as though we would avoid each other forever… but I hadn't picked up the phone to call Shizuka, and she hadn't called me either. It wasn't the sort of conversation I wanted to have over the phone anyway; it seemed perfectly natural to go to her house… Why I got so nervous at the front door, I wasn't sure. I didn't want to explain myself to her mother, not when she had such glowing praise for Niisama. He wasn't something I was ready to live up to.

So instead I went to the open kitchen window to scope out the scene. Luckily, it was just Shizuka riffling through the refrigerator and mumbling to herself. I leaned in against the windowsill and said, "Hey!" She jumped, looking over to window and backing away at the same time… I grinned, making her stop in her tracks, sighing and glaring at the same time. "Did I scare you?"

"Yes!" She propped herself against the refrigerator, smiling at me. "I've never been visited through my kitchen window."

I felt like a complete dork, but it was a nice kind of dorkiness, mostly because it was making her smile, and it was making me smile worse. After our last meeting... well, smiling was a great change. "I didn't want to ring the doorbell, in case your mom was home."

"So you'd risk scaring her in the kitchen?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest. "Boys are too impulsive."

"No," I protested. This was no time to lose my dignity; I had something to prove here. What… I'd probably figure that out later. "I made sure it was you first. Anyway, sorry I haven't called; I've been busy."

"Yeah…" She fidgeted and looked up at the ceiling. "Me too. How are things with you and Seto?"

"Same as always," I said, smile unrelenting.

"Good. If it had turned out that this came between you guys…"

I hadn't expected that – I didn't think she'd even realized that it was possible. I probably should have let her know that it really wasn't; something this small wasn't able to put a big rift between Niisama and me. As far as we were concerned, things with Shizuka were hashed out. "So about… uh… the kissing thing…" I laughed nervously, scratching the back of my head. "How are we? I mean, are we… anything?" I couldn't help but hope she had all the right answers – I sure didn't.

"I…" she blushed and looked down at the floor, wiggling her toes. "I liked it…" she admitted, her words dragging slightly, as though she was having a hard time saying them.

"Me too."

"That's good, but – "

I groaned, slapping my hand over my eyes and leaning down some. "There's a but? Damn, and I was beginning to think this was going to be simple."

I could resist a small laughed before finishing, "But I can't help feeling guilty about everything… Like we've thrown off Seto and Oniichan, then skip off into the sunset… Shouldn't we at least apologize?"

That. Him. I didn't want to deal with him. I had no reason to. He was an asshole; he wasn't even going to take responsibility for what he'd done. "Why? Haven't you ever heard? What goes around comes around."

"Yeah, but that doesn't make it right. You said that things are fine with you and Seto, and Oniichan and I are fine… It bugs me – yeah, we'd talked about revenge, but from what Oniichan told me, you guys are really angry at each other; people aren't some petty game." She shifted, looking at me and worrying her lower lip between her teeth. "I want to talk to Seto first, and I wish you'd just get along with Oniichan. You don't have to like him – "

"Of course I like him," I grunted, shifting on my perch; my hair fell in front of my face, and I didn't bother to move it. "I dated him, didn't I? I just can't forgive him for not even feeling the least bit sorry that he got Niisama in trouble." I looked up to see her crossing her arms like she was cold. "People are saying all sorts of bad things about Niisama again, and I hate that. I hate that he can't understand how much that bothers me to see how much it bothers Niisama."

"I'll make a deal with you," she said firmly, looking me in the eye. "I'll talk to Seto, you'll talk to Oniichan, and once we get that sorted out, we'll work on talking to each other."

I heaved a sigh – a highly overdramatic one, but I felt it was warranted – and nodded. It was going to be a lot of work to make things work with her, but I bet it'd be worth it. "That's an ultimatum, not a deal, but fine. So I'll see you later?" She was cute as she stepped forward, leaning down to kiss my cheek before I left.

It sucked to just leave, but I smiled and waved and left like a responsible prospective boyfriend. I'd live up to my side of this 'deal,' and then I'd come back to 'skip off into the sunset.'

**-end ch.12-**

* * *

**notes**  
There's an overload of underlining in this chapter. I just noticed as I had to do the HTML, lol. But anyway – as you may have noticed, done by July was a noble but foolish goal, lol. My life, however, is neither important to the story nor interesting, so we'll skip the gory details and say that we'll try our damnedest, but I give up on promises on when I'll get this done, haha. Just know it'll get done, eh? I don't give up without a fight. 

Anyway, elsahir is my pagan love god – right up there with ebay. I was actually very concerned with this chapter, especially Mokuba's POV, because it changed from Shizuka's, and I wasn't sure if that was the right move. She approved, and has as always come out as a bad ass beta. Much love goin' on here.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen  
--  
Kaiba**

"Are you busy?"

I was surprised to see Shizuka standing in my office doorway. How she'd gotten past security, I couldn't be sure; probably by rumor alone. I'd let it slide, though… just once. "Yes, but I can spare a few minutes. What do you need?" I asked, switching off my monitor and turning my attention to her. With what Mokuba had told me, with all the trouble I'd never really meant to cause her… I owed her a little of my time on her terms. She took the invitation, closing the door behind her as she made her way to sit down at one of the couches in front of my desk. For a minute we stared at each other, and all of a sudden she laughed. I wasn't sure what was so funny.

"You have no idea how angry of I was. I probably still should be…" she said, smiling. She was a prime example of why I didn't understand people, now that I took a good look at her; how could she look so nostalgic while recalling anger? "I wanted to make sure you suffered, make sure that you understood it to the extent that I had felt it. I got over it eventually. You brother is a great person; you should be really proud."

"I am," I said, watching her carefully. She just nodded, looking me over like she was looking at something that only she could see.

"You know, from day one, Oniichan has always complained about you at least once a week. I had been hearing horrible stories about you while I was still in the hospital; I expected you to be something horrible. And you were – well, kind of – at that tournament." She laughed again; I scowled. These were her terms, but that didn't mean I had to be happy about the abuse. "But you were also really interesting. That day at school… You were so different, and…" She blushed. "Well, I wanted to believe that Oniichan was wrong about you. For a while there, I was sure that he was. Then I was sure that he had been right. Now… He was wrong." She nodded again, and I was left not knowing what I was supposed to say. I still wasn't even sure if she was complimenting or insulting me. Good thing she didn't leave the next words up to me. "So about Mokuba – "

"I'm not your keeper – do as you like," I said, secretly pleased that it had turned out as I had half-hoped it would. "I like you a lot better than your brother anyway."

She blushed, wringing her hands in her lap and averting her gaze for the first time since she entered my office. "Really?" It was nice to gain the upper hand for a minute, just long enough – and on a topic I considered myself educated on.

"If Mokuba was willing to have you on his side to take me out, then you're someone worthy of him – and I think I know enough about you to trust you with my little brother." Her cheeks turned all shades of red, and I could've sworn she was sniffling, which wasn't the effect I was going for. Without warning she snapped to her feet, running her hands over her sides. She seemed to be standing a little taller. With any luck, I'd given her reason to be proud – and keep herself in check.

Couldn't be too careful, after all.

Despite the sniffling, her voice was steady with an almost formal turn to her words. "I don't want to keep you from your work any longer." She stood still for a second, paused; a bit thankfully I took that she was done. I didn't know much of this blunt honesty I could handle. I looked away, back to my work – a nonverbal goodbye. Apparently she didn't intend to stop surprising me; without warning she was hugging me from the side, her forehead resting against the top of my head. "Thanks."

"For what?" I asked, sitting stiffly. She was hugging me, thanking me, even though I'd never done anything good for her. Did a lack of logic run in the family?

"For being you," she said, amusement obvious in her words. "After all, even if you never really liked me, you still did me some good – I never would have looked twice at Mokuba otherwise." She leaned down and kissed my cheek. "Bye, Seto. I'll see you around." Her exit wasn't hurried, and it wasn't even really sad; but it was heavy. Even after she was gone it hung there, stuck with me while I calculated Kaiba Corp's finances. It was hard to work with a thank you like that on my mind. Awkward as it was, I appreciated it; it was closure. The air was clear – in fact, Jounouchi was the only loose end left. Good thing there had never been any semblance of peace between us. If we actually talked _this_ out, we could go back to normally hostile, at best.

**--   
Mokuba**

"Goddamn it, if you were a little older and about a foot taller, I'd kick your ass!"

I stood my ground, foot of height be damned. I didn't care if he was older, or taller, or if we were in his house – he was an asshole, and we both knew it. Funny – after all the time I spent trying to make him look good… "I wasn't too old to be lied to, was I? The line was, 'break the kid and then his heart,' right?"

He paused, and I'd never quite seen him turn THAT red that quickly; whether he was embarrassed or getting really irate, I didn't know. I didn't care either. "Ugh! I hate ex-boyfriends!"

"Yeah, well, I hate you!"

There's a minute in every good fight when it happens: that moment when you cross that little invisible line and don't mean it – and there it was. I felt it right after the words came out of my mouth – saw it on his face as he sort of dumbly flopped back onto the couch, slumping back into the cushions, blinking as though processing what I'd just said. I clenched my fists, still glaring and standing my ground… and I waited. I could do that for him – if I was going to be mean, I might as well give him the opportunity to hit back.

"That's the biggest problem with dating guys," he said, voice weird, way too collected to be normal. "The fights are a lot rougher. You're going to be nicer to Shizuka, right?"

"Huh?"

"You're chasing after Shizuka, right?" he asked, like it was obvious. My shoulders loosened, and I eyed him warily. "Did you think I'd stop you? You gotta promise to be good to her."

Damn him and his ability to catch me off guard. It was my turn to blink like an idiot. I understood his tone all of a sudden; it was hard to say anything that sounded right after being hit with that sort of statement… kinda like having the wind knocked out of you. I sighed and sat next to him. "Yeah," I said. "I'll be nice to Shizuka – a hell of a lot nicer than I am to you."

"Good."

I leaned back against the couch. "And I don't hate you, you just… You don't make a very good ex-boyfriend, you know."

"You're not exactly doing a stellar job yourself."

"Well, I'm new at this," I retorted, smiling a little. "But you don't get it – with all the time I spent trying to convince Niisama that you were good enough, you had to be stupid enough to lose your temper like that. And what kind of guys says that about someone he cares about, even if he doesn't mean it. That bugged me, but whatever. I'll try to be better if you do."

"Deal. So… What did you come here to do, anyway?"

"Get along with you."

He laughed so hard that I thought he might wet himself, and as funny as that would have been, it wasn't what I wanted. He leaned his head back against the couch, shaking. "Well, we're doing a great job, aren't we?"

I didn't have an answer to that – hopefully, I didn't need one. So we sat there, not talking or moving or interacting. To think, at one point, I would have been trying to… "I really liked you," I said; my words sounded a little too loud, even though they weren't loud at all. Maybe it was just weird to have to say it at all. "But I've got serious problems with a guy who can't get his brain out of pants long enough to realize his sister is being hurt."

"Fuck you!"

I bristled, "Fuck me? You're the one who…!" I took a deep breath – we were supposed to trying hard at being good ex-boyfriends, not fighting again. "Anyway… I don't know. I just got close to Shizuka. It just happened."

"Sounds familiar. Whatever. I liked you too. You're an awesome kid when you're not acting like your brother. Man, you make one hell of an enemy. In hindsight, yeah, I guess I should've noticed you were distracted by someone else, and you just lit up around Shizuka." He laughed, and I shifted a little uncomfortably. It was embarrassing to hear out loud, even if I already knew it.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Oh yeah. We were doomed from the start, I guess. You're probably better off with Shizuka anyway – she's certainly a lot better off with you. I think."

I nodded. "Probably. Is this at least a semi-mutual break up?"

He nodded and held a hand out to me; I took it, and weirdly, we shook hands. "Entirely mutual, badly executed."

With a smile, I took my hand back. "Well, that leaves one more thing to deal with."

"Please don't," he asked, holding his hands together in mock prayer. "We're getting along so well, so just don't bring it up."

"C'mon," I said, looking over at him and raising an eyebrow. "He's going to confront you eventually. If you just… promise not to do anything stupid, then I'll back off."

He sighed and cracked his knuckles. "Fine, fine, okay, whatever. I'll take my beating like a good little fuck-up."

"Thank you. So… friends again, eh?"

"Yeah." He sat up, leaned forward to pick up the soda can on the coffee table. Taking a long swig, he set it back down and grinned at me in such an almost-creepy way that I involuntarily leaned back a little. "But friend and ex-boyfriend or not, if you hurt my little sister, I'm breaking your legs."

**-end ch.13-**

* * *

**notes**  
As always, thank you to the boss for her beta assistance, and dealing with the erratic scheduling (or lack thereof). 

On that note -- admit it, the fact that it's not been a month impresses you. You can't resist cracking a smile and wondering if someone has taken over the computer, eh? XD Anyway, neither is true; I actually just finally stopped avoiding the edits and the rewrites and whatnot, so it's smooth sailing from here on out.

You know, except the general ending issues. ;; Anyway, that's about all I have to say. Enjoy!


	14. Chapter Fourteen

_**Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!**_

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen  
----  
Jounouchi**

Knocking.

I was well aware that less than half an hour ago I had promised Mokuba that I would live up to my mistake and face Kaiba's wrath. However, the second I heard that, I knew it was him, and I wanted nothing to do with it. Instead I blared my radio and pretended I couldn't hear him. It worked too… Or at least, I thought it did; after about five minutes the pounding stopped, and I even ventured to turn down my radio; I leaned over, twisted the knob, sat up, coped with the ringing in my ears, and turned to see Kaiba just standing at the foot of my couch.

"What the fuck!" I shouted, scurrying back so that I was barely perched on the opposite arm of the couch. "Are you insane? What if there was a reason I was ignoring you?"

"It couldn't be all that important," he replied haughtily. I sprang to my feet – and learned exactly how unstable couch cushions are. I fell back onto the floor with a loud thunk. It took Kaiba less than a few seconds to stand over me, arms crossed, looking down at me. "Are you done yet?

"Go to hell. I didn't invite you here – "

"Seeing as I've never invited you into my home, you can suffer it for a bit. We need to talk about your sis – "

"No," I said firmly, holding a hand up to him. Mokuba I'd talk about. Him, I'd shout about. Shizuka was off-limits. "You're not allowed to talk about her – you have no right. You don't even really know her."

"Don't I? I bet I know more than you do."

There was an unmistakable note of challenge in his voice, and I sat up, looking him over. He couldn't; he hadn't even liked her. If he wanted to play that game, then the things I'd heard between Mokuba and Shizuka…

"She loves pancakes," he said, apparently taking my silence as a challenge in and of itself.

"So? Everyone knows that. On the other and, Mokuba hates chicken, but eats it with you because it's your favorite." That got him at least a little bit; he made a face, looking off to the side – I was pretty sure he mumbled something about not noticing. "Well?"

His attention turned back to me, and he cracked his knuckles. "Your sister thinks your friends are funny, but gets irritated that they're always around when she visits you."

"Not true – she adores Yuugi and Anzu."

"Maybe so, but that's what she told me." Kaiba smirked, propping his feet up as though he was trying to look cocky. On Kaiba, the effect was creepier than it was irritating. But two could play rough; if he wasn't pulling his punches, then neither was I. "Mokuba doesn't really like Kaiba Corporation – he'll work for it harder than anything, he said, but he doesn't like it."

"Complete bullshit," Kaiba snapped.

"If that's what you gotta say to help you sleep at night."

"Your mother thinks you need higher goals."

"Your brother thinks you need an active sex life."

"Your – what?" It made my day to see him sit up and look at me as though I'd just spouted French.

"No joke – the kid thinks if you were getting some, you'd be a lot more relaxed. It's a prove theory, really."

Kaiba snorted, pulling his feet down and sitting up straight. "He's thirteen; what does he know about sex?"

"Nothing." He looked at me from the corner of his eyes, and I rolled my eyes. "And I swear I didn't teach him anything he didn't already know. I may have said a few things that didn't sound good, but what did I ever do to make you think I'd hurt someone I care about?"

Grudgingly, Kaiba admitted, "Nothing, other than being too low in IQ points to realize you were doing so. He's too young, Jounouchi; you would have hurt him. I wasn't going to stand by and wait for it."

Even if he hadn't really lain off, I couldn't stay angry – because looking back, I could see where he was right. Hindsight's a bitch like that. "Well, it doesn't matter – they got the best of us. Why don't we drop the stupid insults and call it a truce?"

"I hope you realize this'll come up again in tabloids – it's not every day that CEO of a corporation as big as Kaiba Corp gets into a fight in public."

I shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you'll get fighting game investors out of the deal. Anything else?"

"They're going to date." He was perfectly straightforward, not confused or boggled or anything like that. Just stating a fact. I had to admire him for that.

"Yeah."

"And you're okay with it."

"It's not my decision," I replied. "I think Shizuka just made it loud and clear that it's none of my business where she picks her relationships." Checking my watch, I sighed and said, "Look, if you're worried about some sabotage on my part, don't. I'm not going to do anything stupid to get back at them, and I'm not going to try to break them up. I've really got to get ready for work, so truce?"

"Only where our siblings are involved."

"Close enough." I held my hand out, hoping to seal it with a handshake like civilized men, but Kaiba didn't take to the idea. Instead he stood and left without saying anything else, not even a parting insult.

Good enough for me.

**----  
Shizuka**

"I win again!" Mokuba threw his fist in the air in triumph. "Man, Shizuka, didn't you ever play games with Jou?"

I perked up at hearing the way he shortened Oniichan's name. I didn't know why he did it, but I knew it meant something good. "Not really – played dolls with me when we were kids." I looked at him, and set my controller on the floor in front of me; I wasn't looking to be beaten again. "So…"

"I talked to Jou," he volunteered.

"And?"

"We fixed our issues." He coughed slightly and looked at me from under his bangs. "So can I kiss you now? Because I kinda really want to."

I didn't know it was possible to choke on oxygen, but I somehow pulled it off, coughing violently in surprise, my cheeks burning. Mokuba sat beside me, patting my back gently, eyes wide. It wasn't everyday that someone was so blunt with me. I looked at him, smiling, and I guess it was enough; my breath caught just before his lips touched mine. Turned out he was a pretty straightforward kisser too – it wasn't at all like the kiss at the pool; it was more like a tangle of taste and tongues and his hand on my neck, urging me closer – as though there was much space left between us to start with. But there was one issue more pressing than how far down my throat his tongue could go, and I broke the kiss to ask it.

"What does this mean?"

Looking all smug and pleased with himself he said, "That I'll be a better boyfriend than my brother." I laughed, and he silenced me with another kiss.

Until the phone rang, a distinct cell phone ring to be precise. Last I checked, Kaiba's home phone didn't sound like cheesy Nintendo music.

"Ah, shit," Mokuba grumbled, standing up and jumping onto the couch, grabbing the phone off the end table. I had to laugh at his wording; even if I agreed, I knew that Oniichan probably hadn't helped with his swearing… "Yeah?" He stretched back on the couch, staring at the ceiling and nodding absently; I could just barely hear the pitch of the words on the other end of the phone. "Tomorrow night? Haven't you heard of short notice – I might have something more important to do." There was a short pause, a couple of loud noises on the other end of the phone, and then Mokuba laughed, turning to me. "Shizuka, you want to go to Yuugi's tomorrow for dinner? Apparently they're grilling."

I cringed slightly, wondering if that was the best idea – if Honda and Otogi were about ready to give it up yet. I mean, really; they were nice guys, and no one could be that hopeless… I hoped. "Yeah," I nodded. "Sounds wonderful."

Mokuba nodded and focused his attention back to the phone. "We'll see you then." Hanging up, and he dropped the phone onto the couch and put his arms under his head, still smirking.

"What?" I asked, leaning a little closer despite myself; sometimes, he was as mysterious as his brother…

"I'm just looking forward to tomorrow." Sitting up suddenly, he looked at me and added, "I mean, I'll get to lay claim to you properly now. Can't have Otogi and Honda thinking they can still act the same around you now, can I?"

**-end ch.14-**

* * *

**notes**  
(next chapter 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

_**Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!**_

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen  
----  
Kaiba**

Mokuba invited me out to a barbeque that one of Yuugi's friends was holding, trying to convince me that it'd be a good time to clear the air between the four of us and 'look for new dating prospects.'

I told him, "Thanks, but no thanks." He didn't press the topic, and even if I did spend the evening alone at Kaiba Corporation, I spent most of it wondering about Mokuba. Not worrying, for the first time I could remember – just wondering. He'd proven he could choose his own company well-enough without my help, and he could out-smart me just as well if he put his mind to it. He didn't need my protection, not anymore – and what less could I have really expected, looking at his role models; dependency wasn't a staple I had taught.

So my evening went quietly – my night, on the other hand, was interrupted by none other than Jounouchi. It seemed as though he didn't understand that to me, truce meant that we not have any more contact than usual.

"Don't shoot the messenger," he said, smiling sheepishly and holding up his hands. "I come in peace. I went to pick up some munchies, and Mokuba sent me here to ask if he can stay overnight with us at Yuugi's." It took a moment to overcome the initial urge to demand that he be home; I'd never been able to stomach letting him stay anywhere but at home for too long – anywhere that I couldn't help him. "Define us."

"Just the guys – extended pizza and movie time."

"Nothing that'd get you arresting for endangering a minor?" I set him with a pointed glare, and he returned one that said clearly he didn't appreciate the implication.

"Nothing. Besides, Shizuka is a lot scarier than you, and she already threatened me. Those two are so sweet, it's gross." I smirked, stretching in my seat. "They're getting long then?"

"Very well." It was Jounouchi's turn to give me the look; he didn't seem to think I'd catch his drift without it.

I did.

"Fine – have him awake by lunch tomorrow. I'll pick him up personally."

"A regular knight in shining armor. I'll pass on the news." Jounouchi turned to leave, but added the over-so-appropriate parting message of, "By the way – go to hell," as the doors shut behind him. As though I cared; I was still caught up in surrealism of regarding Mokuba was more grown up.

One thing was for sure: I'd have to keep an eye on him – and be much more careful about how I got caught.

**----  
Mokuba**

It was nice, hanging out with Jounouchi and company without having to play up to the job of being a boyfriend. It didn't like such a big deal when I was dating Shizuka. We hung out, we ate, and for the most part, everyone treated it like nothing was at all weird or wrong.

After all the drama with Niisama and Jou, acting absolutely normal was a great feeling. Plus, I got to cuddle with a cute girl while I was at it. Kinda. If I people started looking at us, it got embarrassing and we'd move, or if I thought we were maybe making Jou uncomfortable, I'd shift away. But I did get a really great vanilla ice-cream flavored kiss behind a tree in Yuugi's backyard – I would never eat vanilla ice cream the same, not now that I knew it was much tastier on someone else's tongue – and sometimes when we were sitting, she'd tug my hand behind my back and twine her fingers with mine. It was sickeningly sweet.

I liked it. For every time I remembered seeing her angry, confused by my brother, I remembered that she was my responsibility now; if she was unhappy or hurt, it was in my hands. I'd promised to be a better boyfriend than Niisama.

I didn't really talk to Jounouchi until after he returned from my brother's office; Shizuka was taking a taxi home, and we were standing alone on step in front of Yuugi's door.

"Is it weird?" I asked, dropped my hand without taking my eyes off the taxi.

"Not really." Jounouchi shrugged. "Kaiba gave me a crash-course on dealing with my sister as someone else's sexual object, so at least I'm kinda used to that."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "She's more than an object."

"Exactly what I want to hear," he replied, slapping a hand on my shoulder. "You're a good kid. Better at sucking up than Honda and Otogi, anyway. Speaking of them – "

"Already put in their place," I interrupted, smirking at the memory. "Don't even worry about it."

"Great – you might be better at this than I gave you credit for. C'mon; there's food inside with my name on it!" Without further discussion Jounouchi took off inside, shouting incoherently to his friends – I caught about three words of it; something involving pizza and, "You lame bastards!" It was fun to be grouped into that same set of people. The Jounouchi I liked was the one around his friends – even if it made me a 'lame bastard'.

I nodded to myself, and looked up at the night sky. "Things turned out well," I said to nothing in particular, smiling. Now if only I could get my brother out of his office…

"Mokuba! The pizza isn't going to eat itself!"

My smile widened into a grin. "Coming!"

**-end-**

* * *

**notes**  
I have a slew of excuses of why it took four months to finish this story when there were only two chapters left. I really do -- and for the most part, I don't like to share them. But for you, since you _somehow_ made it through the long haul, I'll manage.

First off, these chapters have been done forever. At least since May, because I was still living on Fort Riley (I haven't since June) when I finished the rewrites of fourteen & fifteen. I won't lie -- I've been demotivated about this story for a long time, and the sudden change in plot on my part didn't help in the slightest. I'm really worried I've bullshitted too much and left you guys with a weak ending. If it turned out that way -- I'm sorry, but this is really all I got.

And I had seriously decided that I was done with fanfiction after this story, at least for a little while; I had no motivation for anything else, I was simply done. But that's changed, as I've refound that spark recently. Luckily before I posted this and announced my "retirement." Ah, I'm too young to retire.

And the excuses end with my issues in balancing work, my apartment, the boy, a psuedo-social life, and my livelihood (that being fanfiction) -- this story has taken the beating of everything over the past year. And I'm really sorry you had to read through that -- and all this lame shit.

On that note, I genuinely hope you've enjoyed the ending, and that overall the experience of the story has been good for you (even if the scheduling hasn't). Thanks to Hannah, Elsalhir, and purkle for all beta'ing, and nenya & Kagi and everyone whose helped with this story in the year+ it's taken my to get it done.

Anyway, I've got a pizza in the oven and a movie night to tend to -- I hope to see you in the future  
- Ashes


End file.
